INTRODUCTION

Primary Senses: Sense of Sight (Visual), Sense of Smell (Olfaction), Sense of Hearing (Audition), Sense of Taste
(Gustation), Sense of Touch/Feeling (Tactile)

- All five of these senses make up the sensorium, or the totality of our sensory experiences and perception.
- The brain takes the information gathered by the senses and processes them into useful information that can
affect our choices(behaviors).

HUMAN AFFECT AND THE SENSES

- While we are hailed as rational beings, making choices and achieving higher order thinking. It is believed
that our affect (or emotions and feelings) play a big role in our behaviors.
- Affective Primacy Hypothesis (Zajonc 1980) states that the cognitive or thinking parts of our brain plays a
less important role in our behavior when compared to our emotional responses.
- This is because of the limbic system the emotional part of our brain and is more primitive than the parts
involved in thinking. It was there helping early humans in survival by having the body act before thinking.

The Three Primary Responses

Fight - when we face adverse or dangerous stimuli squarely.

Flight - when we move away from the adverse or dangerous stimuli

Freeze - when you are startled and are unable to make a choice, thus, are unable to move.

(These basic responses all require the human ability to sense stimuli in the environment.)

SENSES AND SEXUALITY

Visual Experience

- Humans are predominantly visual. We rely on sight to co-create meaning and convey information.
- Take a look at the common signs and symbols used in roads, or the written language we convey our
thoughts in.
- Visual cues are an essential element in society as our visual memory is deemed superior to other forms.
When we see things visually, we tend to remember them more.
- In the context of the topic, visuals play different roles for both sexes in presenting sexual stimuli and eliciting
arousal.
- Studies have shown that men are more influenced when sexual stimuli are in a visual form. Compared to
women, who are less influenced by visual stimuli and more by contextual and non-sexual cues such as the
nature of their relationship with their partner.

Olfactory Experience

- Humans, as well as apes, are largely believed to not rely on scents as much as non-ape animals like dogs and
cats do. Even so with limited olfaction, smell plays an important part on our sexual response.
- In a study conducted exploring the scent preferences of heterosexual and homosexual males and females.
The findings concluded how straight females like to wear floral and sweet scents, but they prefer their
 partners wearing a musky, spicy scent. Straight men and lesbian women prefer wearing the spicy scent and
prefer their partners to wear a sweet scent. And lastly, gay men prefer the spicy scent on themselves and
their partners.
- Scientifically, these can be explained by two things, signature odor and pheromones.
- Signature Odor is associated with Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) and a common finding among
tests on MHC is the fact that people are generally attracted to a partner who has a different set of MHC
genes.
- Pheromones are produced by glands in our body. They play four roles to signal mood and affect social
behaviors. (1) Attractants for the opposite sex. (2) Repellants for the same sex. (3) A stabilizer for a mother-
infant bond. And (4) modulators for the menstrual cycle.
- Some chemicals believed to be pheromones include: Androstadienone (AND), Estratetraenol (EST) , and T-
pyrroline. There are also some schools of thought that do not believe in the existence of human
pheromones because modern studies could not replicate the believed effect of pheromones on human
behaviors.

Tactile Experience

- Observed to be an element of intimacy. Our bodies being covered by the skin, which is the largest organ.
Incredibly sensitive as each square inch houses over a thousand nerve endings.
- That is why in social interactions, especially intimate ones, touch holds meaning. We restrict who is allowed
to touch us, where can they touch us, and like any other behavior, social norms dictate how we decide on
this restriction.
- Touch, as a sensation, has some elements such as tactile, thermal, vibrational. And different parts of the
body have different sensitivities.
- Primary Erogenous Zones: The most sensitive parts of our bodies. (Mouth, Anus, Genitals, Nipples)
- Secondary Erogenous Zones: Sensitive, but only supportive of the primary zones. (Back, Cheek, Neck,
Buttocks)
- Often, these erogenous zones are areas of the body involved in the reproductive and sexual act. When we
touch, our body produces a hormone called oxytocin-it is referred to as the love hormone because it is
believed to influence tribal behaviors and maternal bonding.
- Recall how physical touch as a love language.

Auditory Experience

- Another vital component of communication in daily life. Before written language, we had auditory, with
much of our traditions being passed on orally, even before a writing system.
- In sexual activities, there’s a verbal communication process.
- Sounds give additional context to sexual situations. In sexual interactions, couples may provide verbal erotic
encourage. These are words that not only trigger sexual responses, but also are verbal expressions of
affection (like “I love you!”, “I miss you!”, “Kanino ka lang?”) These are words that manifests feelings.
- Additional Trivia: A survey of popular music(during the time of this book) showed love and sex are common
themes of songs nowadays.
Summary
- The senses are windows to our consciousness. They let us be aware, learn and experience the world through
them. And our brain is the necessary organ that allows us to give meaning to such stimuli.

Introduction
BEHAVIOR
- In simpler terms, it refers to actions. Things that we do that may be seen by others or not at all.
- On the daily, we act because of a motivation, something that drives us to do something.
- Some psychologists believe that we behave as a response to stimuli.
- Others believe that we do things because we want to achieve pleasure or avoid pain.
- Some think it is because we want to achieve a goal towards the fulfillment of our own potentials and
aspirations as a human in search of meaning.
- An interesting thing about behaviors is that it is readily measurable, unlike thoughts and feelings. You can
look at factors such as the frequency, duration, intensity and diversity of behaviors to learn about yourself.

SEXUAL BEHAVIOR
- Sexual behaviors are actions that humans agree to interpret as an expression of their sexual motivations or
intentions. It is important to remember that behaviors are given meaning by people, context matters.
- Sexual behaviors are generally erotic behaviors such that they involve any, of the primary or secondary
erotic zones. Earlier we mentioned that body parts such as face, neck, genitalia, and chest, among others,
are erogenous zones.
- They can be typed according to the aim of the behavior. When pleasuring the self, it is called masturbation
or auto-erotica. Such motivations can, of course, be directed at other people who are a different sex or the
same sex, such as in Heteroerotic Behaviors and Homoerotic Behaviors respectively.
- Sexual behaviors can involve copulation(insertion of the penis into the vagina) but they also may not
be(kissing, hugging, caressing), or perhaps mouth-to-genital(fellatio, cunnilingus) and of course they can
involve the anus(anal).

SEXUAL RESPONSE CYCLE

What is a response?

- a response is the reaction of an organism to a specific stimulus, in our context, the specific stimulus would
be sexual activity.

The Sexual Response Cycle

- For a straight couple, one of the ultimate goals of sex is reproduction. Made possible by the male
ejaculating semen inside of the female genitals in the hopes of having a sperm cell and egg cell meet.
- Before this, both parties will undergo a sequence of bodily changes that prepare them for climax and which
is called the sexual response cycle.
Masters and Johnson("Human Sexual Response", 1966) proposed that the cycle has four phases.

- Excitement: known as arousal. Occurs as a result of physical and/or mental stimuli. Preparing the body for
intercourse. At this stage, both parties have their heart rate increase and the body experiences something
known as a sex flush, where parts of the skin near the erogenous zones start to redden. The male
experiences his scrotum elevating, as well as erection or the hardening of his penis. The female experiences
vaginal vasocongestion, leading to the lubrication and swelling of the genitals
- Plateau: prolonging the excitement until orgasm. The sustained peak in stimulation of the organs.
- Orgasm: one of the ways for the plateau phase to end. Sexual fluids are exchanged with other involuntary
actions. The male achieves ejaculation and the female is ready to receive the sperm.
- Resolution: the state at which the body starts to calm down. Heart rate slows down and the muscles start to
relax. The penis softens, and the vagina also becomes more relaxed.

Kaplan(1979) argued that the former did not acknowledge the psychological and emotional

factors in sex. Proposed a different cycle with three independent phases.

- Desire: the psychological component of the sexual response. Involves having sexual thoughts and feelings.
- Arousal: combination of the Excitement and Plateau phases. The physiological component of the sexual
response, bodily changes occur in preparation.
- Orgasm: combination of the Orgasm and Resolution phases. Completion of the sexual response.

Other Models:

Incentive-Motivation Model: Sexual cues in one’s external environment and internal thoughts trigger the
nervous system, affecting one’s motivation. Experiences can affect the motivation stirred.

Basson’s Cycle: Specific to women as she believes that men and women are so different as to warrant a separate
model. Begins with a woman’s need for intimacy.

SEXUAL RESPONSE DYSFUNCTION

Some people experience difficulty or problem in some of the sexual phases. The following are the common
sexual response dysfunction. The origins of sexual dysfunction orders are varied, it can be organic, wherein there
is a problem with one’s body. Or it can be psychosomatic, wherein the problem is psychological in nature. That’s
why there’s a range of interventions meant to alleviate these.

Sexual Desire Disorder - When an individual has low levels of desire or has an aversion to sexual activities.

Sexual Arousal Disorder - When an individual has problem in achieving necessary physiological state for
copulation.

Orgasmic Disorder - When an individual has problems in achieving orgasm.

Sexual Pain Disorders - When there is an experience of pain during the sexual response cycle.
PARAPHILIAS
Atypical Sexual Behavior

Atypical due to any of the following reasons:

1. They are not prevalent.

2. They are dangerous to self and to others.
3. They are bizarre and are not socially acceptable.
4. They are distressing either to the doer or to other people involved in the act.

Paraphilia

- When an individual gets sexually aroused by an object, person, circumstance that are unusual.
- Like inflicting pain on someone or humiliating them.

Paraphilic Disorder

- When the urge or act lasts for at least six months and is a manifestation of clinically significant distress.
- For a paraphilia to be considered a paraphilic disorder, diagnosis has to be made and this can only be
satisfied by trained psychologists, medical doctors may make the same judgment after a comprehensive
assessment.

Some of the common Paraphilic Disorders:

1. Fetishism – arousal from non-living objects or body parts.

2. Exhibitionism – pleasure from exposing one’s genitals to non-consenting people.
3. Frotteurism – touching/rubbing one’s genitals on non-consenting people.
4. Pedophilia – arousal from prepubescent children.
5. Sexual Masochism – arousal from actual suffering or humiliation of the self.
6. Sexual Sadism – arousal from inflicting pain onto others.
7. Transvestic Fetishism – (for straight males only) arousal from wearing clothing by the opposite sex
during sexual activities. Side Note: Pretty sure it’s only to straight men wearing traditionally feminine
clothes like skirts and dresses because it’s socially looked down upon. Straight women can pretty much
wear anything they want since men’s clothing is so general that’s why most women don’t find it as
exciting.
8. Voyeurism – arousal from observing other people engaged in sexual activities.