Nature of Human Sexuality

A report in SSCI211C-2C
 Human Sexuality
• It is how people experience the
erotic and express themselves as
sexual beings. Frequently driven
by the desire for sexual pleasure,
human sexuality has biological,
physical, and emotional aspects.
Aspects of Human Sexuality
• Physiological (biological)
• Psychological
(emotional)
• Sociological (relational)
 Physiological Aspect
• The main
physiological
differences
of each
gender are
the sex
organs.
 Secondary Physical Aspects
• The secondary physical
aspects of each gender
appear after puberty.
• Males develop a lower
toned voice, broader
shoulders, increased
muscular development,
hair growth on face and
body, and height increase.
 Secondary Physical Aspects
• Females, on the
other hand, develop
a higher tone of
voice, broader hips,
mature breasts and
pubic and underarm
hair growth.
 Sexual Arousal
• It is the arousal of sexual desire, during or in
anticipation of sexual activity.
• Things that precipitate human sexual arousal
are called erotic stimuli, or colloquially known
as turn-ons.
• Sexual arousal may not lead to an actual
sexual activity, beyond a mental arousal and
the physiological changes that accompany it.
 Female Arousal
• The beginnings of sexual arousal in a woman's
body is usually marked by vaginal lubrication
(wetness), swelling and engorgement of the
external genitals, and enlargement of the vagina.
• There have been studies to find the degree of
correlation between these physiological
responses and the woman's subjective sensation
of being sexually aroused: the findings usually are
that in some cases there is a high correlation,
while in others it is surprisingly low.
 Male Arousal
• It is normal to correlate the erection of the
penis with male sexual arousal.
• Physical or psychological stimulation, or both,
leads to vasodilation and the increased blood
flow engorges the three spongy areas that run
along the length of the penis.
• The penis grows enlarged and firm, the skin of
the scrotum is pulled tighter, and the testes
are pulled up against the body.
 Psychological Aspect
• The main difference
of the genders
pertaining to the
psychology is their
emotional and
organizational
patterns.
 Psychological Aspects
• Males
– Males tend to keep their problems to themselves
rather than tell others.
– Males are normally comfortable when they can
see all of their belongings rather than keeping
them.
– Males tend to see things generally rather than the
specifics.
– Males are less picky of things that the females
 Psychological Aspects
• Females
– Females are open and honest to their fellow
females about their problems.
– Females are normally comfortable when their
things are organized and kept in a safe place until
they want to use it.
– Females look at things specifically and understand
all the parts of something they are doing.
– Females are more picky than males especially
pertaining to hygiene.
 Sexual Attraction
• It is an important aspect of the sexuality of the
person being observed, as well as of the
person observing.
• Each person determines the qualities which
they find attractive, which vary from person to
person.
• A person's sexual orientation (male or female)
has a significant influence on which qualities
they will find attractive.
 Sexual Attraction
• The qualities which people
can find sexually attractive
may depend on the physical
quality, including both looks
and movements of a person
but can also be influenced
by voice or smell as well as
by individual preferences.
 Differences in Attraction
• Males are normally attracted to the physical
aspects of the opposite sex first before
appreciating the other aspects.
• Females on the other hand are attracted to
the physical aspects but do not linger on them
too long because of other aspects which they
notice much earlier than the males do.
 Sociological Aspect
• Different genders have different psychological
responses and thus translate to different
sociological behaviour.
• Normally, sociological differences between
the genders are clearly seen when they are
part of a group of people.
• Peer groups (friends), family and media are
the main proponents of one’s sociological
molding.
 Men’s Sexual Sociology
• Men, at an early age, express their supremacy over a
fellow male or to the opposite sex.
• Physical supremacy by means of use (sports) is an
initial way for a male to show his belongingness and
importance to other people. (But nowadays, some
men prefer to participate in intellectual activities
rather than physical to set them apart from others)
• Aspects less superficial like career and achievement
(although not clearly seen in an early age) appear to be
the driving force behind their efforts of improving their
life.
 Women’s Sexual Sociology
• Females, on the other hand, take pride at
their hygiene at an early age.
• Physical attributes like hair, figure and overall
cleanliness are normally the aspects taken
into importance.
• Later in life, they take less superficial aspects
like achievement, career and success take a
more important role in their lives.
Homosexuality and Gender Confusion
• Sometimes human sexuality doesn’t pertain to
any of the previous aspects because even
though males and females are predetermined,
some individuals prefer to act, dress and talk
like the opposite sex.
• Some people are actually confused (not by
their own choice) of their gender because of
the surrounding factors in their life
(environment, society and significant others)
 Conclusion
• Human sexuality is a very complex behavior that
is affected by many facets of our life.
• The point here is that human sexuality, like us, is
multi-dimensional and one can only begin to get
a sense of what it is by the inclusion of many
perspectives and ideas.
• This is a bit over simplified but it seems that so
much of what we do day in and day out as
humans is in some way or another governed by
our sexual self.