1. Sexual Expression

2. A complex process through which we reveal
our sexual selves
 Involves behaviors and feelings
 Research relies upon self reports which may
be problematic

3.  Characteristicsof what is “attractive” vary
across cultures, but two universals emerge
 Youthfulness
 Health
 Theories
proposed by evolutionary
psychologists can be difficult to test

4.  Various cultures emphasize:
 The eyes
 Height and weight
 Size and shape of genitals
 American ideals of beauty not universal
 Breasts not erotic in several cultures
 Plump women preferred over thin women in
majority of cultures
 Gender
 Ethnicity

5.  Males and females differ in preferred traits in
partners
 Males and females have different strategies of
commitment
 Differences exist due to differences in
reproductive investment and reproductive
physiology

6.  Attractivepeople assumed to be more sexual
and permissive
 Can create a self-fulfilling prophecy
 Expectation creates the desired outcome

7.  Can exist separately from physical sexual
expression
 Very little scientific research in this area
 Difficult to quantify
 Desire is influenced by two factors:
 Erotophilia: a more positive emotional response
toward sexuality-related situations
 Erotophobia: a more negative emotional response
toward sexuality-related situation

8.  Scriptsorganize our sexual expressions
 Our sexual scripts have 3 main components:
 Cultural
 Intrapersonal
 Interpersonal

9.  Provides the general pattern of expected
sexual behaviors
 Our culture tells us which behaviors are
acceptable (moral or normal) and which are
unacceptable (immoral or abnormal)
 Individual views may not match cultural views
of erotic

10.  Intrapersonal: Focus on the internal and
physiological states that are associated with
sexual arousal
 Interpersonal: Involves the shared
conventions and signals that enable two
people to engage in sexual behaviors

11.  Sexual activities that do not involve a partner
 Sexual fantasies and dreams
 Masturbation

12.  Define and direct erotic goals
 Anticipate and prepare for erotic situations
 Provide pleasurable escape
 Safe way to introduce novelty
 Clues to the unconscious mind

13.  Leitenberg and Henning (1995)
 Notable differences in sexual fantasies of men
and women consistent across orientation
 Men’s tended to be more active, focusing on fantasy
partner’s body, explicit sexual acts, physical
gratification
 Women’s tended to be more passive, focusing on
partner’s interest in own body, emotional content,
romance

14.  Dreams can accompany nocturnal orgasm for
men and women
 Dream content may not be overtly sexual
 Content of dreams cannot be controlled and
often runs the gamut of sexual possibilities

15.  Mostmen and women masturbate for several
reasons
 Relaxation
 Relief of sexual tension
 Partner not available
 Physical pleasure
 Aid to falling asleep
 A way to avoid STIs and HIV

16.  Attitudes towards masturbation vary along
ethnic, cultural, and religious lines
 Latino and Black cultures are generally less
accepting than White culture
 Prevalence of masturbation is correlated with
education, ethnicity, and religion

17.  An important means of learning about our
bodies
 Not necessarily a substitute for interpersonal
sexual activity
 A legitimate form of activity in its own right

18.  Children and adolescents masturbate and a
neutral or non-judgmental parental reaction
can be important
 Women and masturbation
 Men and masturbation
 Masturbation and marriage

19.  Touching  Oral-genital sex
 pleasuring  cunnilingus
 tribidism  fellatio
 interfemoral  Vaginal intercourse
intercourse  Anal eroticism
 Kissing
 analingus
 anal intercourse

20. A sign of caring and signal for arousal
 The entire body is responsive to touch and
caresses
 Genital touch is one of many forms of this
type of pleasuring
 Pleasuring (Masters and Johnson)

21.  Usually
our earliest interpersonal sexual
experience
 First kiss is often a milestone
 The most widely accepted of all premarital sexual
activities
 Lipsare highly sensitive to touch and highly
erotic

22.  Became part of more Americans’ sexual
scripts in the 20th century
 Cunnilingus: the erotic stimulation of a
woman’s vulva and/or clitoris by her partner’s
mouth and tongue
 Fellatio: the oral stimulation of a man’s penis
by his partner’s sucking and licking

23.  Incidence: 70-90% report engaging in oral
sex over the course of their lifetime
 Attitude towards genitals and sex can
affect their comfort with oral sex
 Reduce risk of STI and HIV with latex
barriers
 Ejaculation and semen
 Preference
 Risk

24. A source of pleasure, communication, and
love
 Positions
 STIs
 Tantric

25.  Analingus: Oral–anal contact
 Anal manual activities
 Anal intercourse: insertion of a penis into
anus
 Individuals of all sexual orientations engage in
anal eroticism