Unpacking the Self:

The Sexual Self

Human beings are all sexual beings. Sexual development takes place
when humans are still inside the womb of their mothers.

• Sex is a biological component

determined on the basis of primary
sex characteristics.
• Primary sex characteristics: the
anatomical traits essential to
reproduction
• Secondary sex characteristics:
physical traits not essential to
reproduction that result from the
actions of the so-called male and
female hormones
Puberty is the stage of development at which individuals become
sexually mature.
The sequence of changes for boys and girls is predictable, though the
timing of these changes varies for every individual.
Puberty in Boys
Puberty in Boys
Puberty in Boys
Puberty in Girls
Puberty in Girls
Puberty in Girls
 EROGENOUS ZONES

• Popularized in the 1960s and 1970s

to describe the areas of the body
that are highly sensitive to stimuli
and are often (but not always)
sexually exciting.
• Highly sensitive means these areas
of the body have a high number of
sensory receptors or nerve endings
that react to stimuli.
• These are places where a person is
generally more sensitive to both
pain and pleasure than in other
areas of the body.
Understanding the Human Sexual Response
• The sexual response cycle refers to the sequence of physical and
emotional occurrences when the person is participating in a
sexually stimulating activity.
• In general, both men and women experience these phases.
However, they do not experience it at the same time. Moreover, the
intensity of the sensation and the time spent in each phase also
vary from person to person.
• In the 1950s, William Masters and Virginia Johnson pioneered
research to understand human sexual response, dysfunction and
disorders, which served as a basis for the theory on the four-stage
model of sexual response or the human sexual response cycle.
Phase 1: Excitement
General characteristics of the excitement phase, which can last from a few
minutes to several hours, include the following:

• Muscle tension increases.

• Heart rate quickens and breathing is accelerated.
• Skin may become flushed (blotches of redness appear on the chest and back).
• Nipples become hardened or erect.
• Blood flow to the genitals increases, resulting in swelling of the woman's
clitoris and labia minora (inner lips), and erection of the man's penis.
• Vaginal lubrication begins.
• The woman's breasts become fuller and the vaginal walls begin to swell.
• The man's testicles swell, his scrotum tightens, and he begins secreting a
lubricating liquid.
Phase 2: Plateau
General characteristics of the plateau phase, which extends to the brink of
orgasm, include the following:

• The changes begun in phase 1 are intensified.

• The vagina continues to swell from increased blood flow, and the vaginal
walls turn a dark purple.
• The woman's clitoris becomes highly sensitive (may even be painful to touch)
and retracts under the clitoral hood to avoid direct stimulation from
the penis.
• The man's testicles are withdrawn up into the scrotum.
• Breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure continue to increase.
• Muscle spasms may begin in the feet, face, and hands.
• Muscle tension increases.
Phase 3: Orgasm
The orgasm is the climax of the sexual response cycle. It is the shortest of the
phases and generally lasts only a few seconds. General characteristics of this
phase include the following:

• Involuntary muscle contractions begin.

• Blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing are at their highest rates, with a
rapid intake of oxygen.
• Muscles in the feet spasm.
• There is a sudden, forceful release of sexual tension.
• In women, the muscles of the vagina contract. The uterus also undergoes
rhythmic contractions.
• In men, rhythmic contractions of the muscles at the base of the penis result in
the ejaculation of semen.
• A rash, or "sex flush" may appear over the entire body.
Phase 4: Resolution
• During resolution, the body slowly returns to its normal level of functioning,
and swelled and erect body parts return to their previous size and color.
• This phase is marked by a general sense of well-being, enhanced intimacy
and, often, fatigue.
• Some women are capable of a rapid return to the orgasm phase with further
sexual stimulation and may experience multiple orgasms.
• Men need recovery time after orgasm, called a refractory period, during
which they cannot reach orgasm again. The duration of the refractory period
varies among men and usually lengthens with advancing age.
Sex and the Brain
Roles of the brain in sexual activity
• Responsible for translating the nerve impulses
sensed by the skin into pleasurable sensations
• Controls the nerves and muscles used in sexual
activities
• Sexual thoughts and fantasies are theorized to lie in
the cerebral cortex, the same area used for thinking
and reasoning.
• Emotions and feelings (which are important for sexual
behavior) are believed to originate in the limbic
system.
• The brain releases hormones considered as the
physiological origin of sexual desire.
Roles of Hormones in sexual activity
• The hypothalamus is the
most important part of the
brain for sexual functioning.
• This small area at the base of
the brain has several groups
of nerve-cell bodies that
receive input from the
limbic system.
• The pituitary gland
secretes the hormones
produced in the
hypothalamus.
 HORMONES FUNCTION

Known as the “love hormone” and believed to be involved in our

Oxytocin desire to maintain close relationships. It is released during intercourse
when orgasm is achieved.

Follicle-Stimulating Responsible for ovulation in females. Sexual activity was more

Hormone (FSH) frequent during a woman’s fertile time.

Crucial in regulating the testes in men and ovaries in women. In men,

Luteinizing Hormone
LH stimulates the testes to produce testosterone. In males, testosterone
(LH)
appears to be a major contributing factor to sexual motivation.

Involved in the male arousal phase. The increase of vasopressin during

Vasopressin erectile response is believed to be directly associated with increased
motivation to engage in sexual behavior.

Estrogen and Regulate motivation to engage in sexual behavior for women, with
progesterone estrogen increasing motivation and progesterone decreasing it.
 Understanding
the Chemistry of
Lust, Love and
Attachment
Anthropologist Helen Fisher proposed three stages of falling in
love and for each stage, a different set of chemicals run the show.
• Marked by physical
attraction
• You want to seduce and be
seduced by your object of
affection
• Will not guarantee, however,
that the couple will fall in
love in any lasting way
• Norepinephrine – responsible
for the extra surge of energy and
triggers increased heart rate, loss
of appetite, as well as the desire to
sleep. The body is more alert and
is ready for action.
• Dopamine – associated with
motivation and goal-directed
behavior. It makes you pursue
your object of affection. It creates a
sense of novelty, where the person
seems exciting, special, or unique
that you want to tell the world
about his or her admirable traits.
• Serotonin – low levels are found
in people who are in love
Involves the desire to have
lasting commitment with
your significant other.
Psychological aspect of sexual desire
• Sexual desire is typically viewed as an interest in sexual objects or
activities, and is sometimes, but not always, accompanied by genital
arousal.
• Sexual desire can be triggered by a large variety of cues and situations,
including private thoughts, feelings, and fantasies, erotic materials
(books, movies, photographs), and a variety of erotic environment,
situations or social interactions.
• Sexual desire is often confused with sex drive.
Sex drive represents a basic, biologically mediated motivation to
seek sexual activity or gratification.
Sexual desire represents a more complex psychological
experience that is not dependent on hormonal factors.
Psychological aspect of sexual desire
• Factors the influence notable gender differences on sexual desire:
– Culture
– Social environment
– Political situations
• Men are more visual while women are auditory and tactile.
• Women may place great emphasis on interpersonal relationships
while males enjoy a more casual sexual behavior.
• Early human females practiced selective mating with carefully chosen
males to achieve maximum reproductive success, while no such
pressure was evident on men. This may have favoured the evolution of
stronger sexual desires in men than in women.