Sexual expression involves behaviors and feelings that reveal our sexual selves. It is a complex process that varies across cultures. Research relies on self-reports, which can be problematic. Two universal characteristics of attractiveness are youthfulness and health, though ideals differ depending on factors like gender, ethnicity, and culture. Sexual scripts organize our expressions through cultural, intrapersonal, and interpersonal components. Sexual fantasies, dreams, and masturbation are private expressions that can fulfill various functions.

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