Sexual Motivation and the Need to Belong Module 38

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Sexual Motivation and the Need to BelongModule
38
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Sexual Motivation

• Sexual motivation is natures clever way of
  making people procreate thus enabling our
  species survival.

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Research on Sexuality

• Kinsey (et al, 1953 Kinsey, Pomeroy and Martin,
  1948) asked volunteers about their sexual
  practices
• Masters and Johnson (1966) measured actual
  physiological sexual response patterns in a lab.
• However, the Kinsey and Masters and Johnson
  studies used volunteers and the data is outdated.

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More Research on Sexuality

• The University of Chicago conducted the National
  Health and Social Life Survey the first
  extensive study of sexual behavior in the United
  States (1994).
• Did not depend on self-selected volunteers.
• Carefully constructed the sample to reflect the
  sociocultural diversity of the U.S.
• Used face-to-face interviews and encouraged
  honesty.
• Researchers found that
• People in U.S. have sex less often and with fewer
  partners than many had assumed.
• People in committed, one-partner relationships
  has the most frequent and the most satisfying
  sex.
• Overwhelming majority of heterosexual couples
  reported considerably little variation in sexual
  practices.

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The Physiology of Sex

• Masters and Johnson (1966) describe human sexual
  response to consist of four phases

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Hormones and Sexual Behavior

• Sex hormones have 2 effects
• They direct the development of male and female
  sex characteristics.
• They activate sexual behavior
• This is more obvious in non-human animals.
• Hormones more loosely influence human behavior.
• Sex hormone levels of males are more constant and
  therefore more difficult to manipulate
  experimentally.

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Testosterone

• Levels of testosterone remain constant in males
  and thus difficult to manipulate and activate
  sexual behavior. Castration which reduces
  testosterone levels lowers sexual interest.

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Estrogen

• Female animals in heat express peak levels of
  estrogen. Female receptivity can be heightened
  with estrogen injections.

In humans, sex hormones may have milder affects
than in animals. Women are more likely to have
sex close to ovulation (increased testosterone),
and men show increased testosterone levels when
socializing with women.
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The Psychology of Sex
Hunger responds to a need. If we dont eat we
die. Sex in that sense is not a need, if we dont
have sex we dont die.
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External Stimuli

• It is common knowledge that men become sexually
  aroused when browsing through erotic material.
  However, women under controlled conditions
  experience similar heightened arousal (at least
  according to studies using female volunteers).
• Sexually explicit material can have adverse
  effects
• Depictions of women being sexually coerced and
  enjoying it increase viewing acceptance of rape
  myths and willingness to hurt women.
• Viewing X-rated films decreases satisfaction with
  sex partners
• .

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Imagined Stimuli

• Imagination in our brain can influence sexual
  arousal and desire. People with spinal cord
  injury, with no genital sensation, can still feel
  sexual desire.

Sotographs/The Gamma-Liaison Network/ Getty Images
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Adolescent Sexuality

• When individuals mature into adolescents sexual
  behavior develops with it, however there are
  cultural differences.

• ½ of US 9-12th graders report having had sex
• Rates are lower in Arab and Asian countries and
  among Asian Americans.
• Only 2.5 of unmarried Chinese students entering
  college reported experiencing premarital sex.
• In 1900, 3 of women reported experiencing
  premarital sex by 18 today slightly over ½ do.

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Contraception

• Ignorance Canadian teens girls have mistaken
  ideas about birth control methods.
• Guilt-Related to Sexual Activity Guilt reduces
  sexual activity but also reduces the use of
  contraceptives.
• Minimal Communication Many teenagers feel
  uncomfortable about discussing contraceptives.
• Alcohol Use Those who use alcohol prior to sex
  are less likely to use contraceptives.
• Mass Media Medias portrayal of unsafe
  extramarital sex decreases the use of
  contraceptives.

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Sexually Transmitted Infection
Factors that reduce sexual activity in teens.

• High Intelligence Teens with higher intelligence
  are likely to delay sex.
• Religiosity Religious teens and adults more
  often reserve sex for marital commitment.
• Fathers Presence A fathers absence from home
  relates to higher teen sexual activity.
• Learning Programs Teens who volunteer and tutor
  learning programs on reducing teen pregnancy are
  less likely to engage in unsafe sex.

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Sexual Orientation

• Sexual orientation refers to a persons
  preference for emotional and sexual relationships
  with individuals of the same sex, other sex
  and/or either sex.

Homosexual
Heterosexual
Bisexual
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Sexual Orientation Statistics

• In Europe and America, based on many national
  surveys, homosexuality in men is 3-4 and in
  women is 1-2.

Being in minority, homosexuals often struggle
with their sexual orientation.
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Origins of Sexual Orientation

• Homosexuality is more likely to be based on
  biological factors like differing brain centers,
  genetics, parental hormone exposure, than
  environmental factors.

Cynthia Johnson/ Time magazine
Homosexual parents
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Animal Homosexuality

• A number of animal species are devoted to
  same-sex partners, suggesting that homosexuality
  exists in the animal world.

David Hecker/ AFP/ Getty Images
Wendell and Cass
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The Brain

• The size of the anterior hypothalamus is smaller
  (LeVay, 1991) and anterior commissure is larger
  (Allen Gorski, 1992) in homosexual men.

Anterior Commissure
http//www.msu.edu
Anterior Hypothalamus
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Genes Sexual Orientation

• A number of reasons suggest that homosexuality
  may be due to genetic reasons.

• Family Homosexuality seems to run in families.
• Twin studies Homosexuality is more common in
  identical twins than fraternal twins. However
  mixed results.
• Fruit flies Genetic engineers can genetically
  manipulate females to act like males during
  courtship, and males that act like females.

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Hormones Sexual Orientation

• Prenatal hormones affect sexual orientation
  during critical periods of fetal development.

• Animals Testosterone exposure to fetus results
  in females (sheep) showing homosexual behavior.
• Humans Female hormone exposure to male or female
  fetus (human) results in attraction to males.

Homosexual
Heterosexual male
Heterosexual female
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Sexual Orientation Biology
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Changing Attitudes
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Sex and Human Values

• Promiscuous recreational sex poses certain
  psychological, social, health, and moral problems
  that must be faced realistically (Baumrind,
  1982).

Andreanna Seymore/ Getty Images
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The Need to Belong

• Man is a social animal, (Aristotle).
  Separation from others increases our need to
  belong.

20th Century Fox/ Dreamworks/ The Kobal Collection
Cast Away, Tom Hanks, suffers from social
starvation.
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Aiding Survival
Social bonds boosted our ancestors survival
rates. These bonds led to

• Protection from predators, especially for the
  young.
• Procuring food.
• Reproducing next offspring.

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Belongingness

• Wanting to Belong The need to belong colors our
  thinking and emotions.
• Social Acceptance Belonging to others increases
  our self-esteem. Social segregation decreases it.
• Maintaining Relationships We resist breaking
  social bonds, even bad ones.
• Ostracism Social exclusion, leads to
  demoralization, depression and at times nasty
  behavior.
• Fortifying Health People who tend to have close
  friends are happier and healthier.