Chapter 8. Understanding Sexuality, part 2

I. Sexual Behavior

1. erotic fantasies:though all experience,socially unacceptable,cause loss self-esteem

a. %: 60-90% respondents fantasize during sex

b. gender dif: 54% of men and 19% women though about sex daily

i. x-rated videos: 23% of men and 11% of women bought

2. nocturnal orgasms: fem feel<guilt than men, men worry perhaps since emit semen

3. masturbate:greatest male-fem dif; by end adoles, @all men, 2/3 fem mastur to org

a. guilt: yet males report more guilt than women

b. after marry: many continue: only 1/3 list unavailable partner as reason

c. race dif: whites >accept maybe since see as altern to early-age intercourse

i. blacks:start sex earlier age;mastur seen sign personal/sex inadequate

ii. Latinos: Mex cult sees unaccept & Cath see as sinful;assim changes

4. Kissing: Borneans translate as“smell;” trad Eskimos&Maoris no mouth kiss,

only nuzzling that facilitates smelling

i. Sex dif: Lesbians do more, males less, than heterosex couples

5. oral-genital sex:white M-C accept;many blacks see immoral,<rates;Latino>rare

6. sex dif intercourse: men>consistently orgasmic than women due to poor stimulate;

yet intercourse (&sharing)>central to fem satis compared to other methods for men

7. anal sex: 10% men, 9% fem report doing prev yr;1/4 men 1/5 fem ever done; highest

HIV risk because delicate rectal tissues are easily torn & HIV enter blood

II. Sexual Relationships

1. “Non” not “pre” mar sex: since 10% adult never marry;30% div fem never remar

2. premar sex: gen blacks >permissive than whites and whites > permis than Latinos

3. Men misinterpret refusals: take “no” to mean “coax me;”fem indirect thus unclear

4. safe sex: need to practice;direct verbal discussion best; more than condoms alone

5. sex in cohabit rel: >frequent than mar;>=initiate;>extra-rel sex (@1/5 v. 1/10 mar)

a. cause: 1 norms fidelity maybe weaker 2 cohabitors conform<to convention

6. freq in mar: @3 per week; early mid age, 1 ½ - 2 times/wk;50yrs, 1/wk or less

a. cause: fatigue and lack of private time maybe most sig in decline freq

7. sex dif initiate sex: men>than women in mar; however, fem don’t restrict >men do

8. causes extra-mar sex:personality char (emot dep, egal gender roles)>qual of mar

a. unhappiness in marriage and(>imp) pre-marital sex (already broke norms)

9. lifetime incid infidel:men21%(22-33,7% peak54-63,37%)fem11% peak44-53,20%

10. sex dif affairs: twice as many men as fem see affairs only sexual rather than emot

11. No Effect Open Mar on stability: Rubin&Adams1986 find no dif in happy,jealous

III Sexual Problems and Dysfunctions

1. Performance anxiety: fear of failure probably most important cause of dysfunction

2. Psychic Conflict within self: guilt deeply rooted;don’t elim sex drive,but inhibit

3. failures in sex rel: timing,intimacy,sexual empathy,reciprocity,overromanticization

IV Birth control and Abortions

1. chance conception:30% day bef ovulate;50% day of ovu;85-90% in yr w/o contra

2. > likely use contracep: in stable rel w/ predictable patterns &explicit communicate

3. abortion rates:nonwhite fem 17% pop, but 31%;Latina’s 8% pop, but 13% seekers

V STDs: 12-13 million in U.S. contract/yr;

1. >prev: chlamydia,gonorrhea,genital warts & herpes, syphilis, hepatitis, HIV/AIDS