PASSION, LOVE,

AND SEXUAL
BEHAVIOR
HUMAN MOTIVATION
 HUMAN SEXUAL
AROUSAL (PASSION)
The Biological Component:
Human sexual behavior occurs in two major
stages:
o
No tactile stage: becoming interested in person through
visual, auditory, olfactory, or even cognitive cues.
Tactile stage: involves tactile stimulation.
Human sexual behavior is a sensory event
Sex is rewarding because it provides a pleasurable sensory
experience.
Sexual response is organized much in the same
way for both males/females. Four stages:
the excitement phase, the plateau phase, the orgasmic
phase, and the resolution phase.
 HUMAN SEXUAL
AROUSAL (PASSION)
The Learned Component:
Visual stimulus may elicit sexual arousal.
Pictures showing two persons engaged in sexual acts elicits more arousal than
simple pictures of nudity.
Verbal descriptions of sexual behavior are sufficient to elicit sexual
arousal in most volunteer subjects.
Sexual Scripts: mental schemata of how an interpersonal sexual episode
should be enacted.
Female scripts tend to focus on falling in love, whereas male scripts tend to
focus mainly on sexual activity.
Eventually, the females begins to adjust her script to include sexual arousal,
which lays groundwork for eventual orgasm.
Sexual pleasure is interaction of biological (sensory) and learned factors.
Reward value of sex depends on participating in a satisfying sexual
script.
Males/females tend to react differently to same sexual behaviors.
 HUMAN SEXUAL
AROUSAL (PASSION)
The Cognitive Component:
Sexual scripts are influenced by the beliefs and attitudes
they hold.
They come from the society at large, from peer groups, and from
internalized values/ideals.
Males and females tend to believe that the sex drive is
stronger in males than females.
Females tend to connect sex with feelings of affection
and closeness.
Males tend to perceive sex as an achievement, an
adventure, a demonstration of control and power, or a
purely physical release.
Although, most men prefer that love and sex go together and value
love far ahead of sex in overall importance in their lives.
(These are statistical differences and do not reflect individual
differences.)
 ATTRACTION, PASSION, LOVE
The Biological Component:
Evolutionary perspective: purpose of sexual behavior is
to produce offspring so that genes may survive future
generations.
Pleasure motivates us to engage in sexual behavior on a
repeated basis.
Purpose of love- repeatedly engage in sex with mate and
form long-term relationship.
Love produces euphoric state (linked to
dopamine/norepinephrine)
Love linked to phenylethylanine (PEA)- levels begin to fall after
two to three years.
Endorphins mediate the attachment stage following the initial
attraction.
Oxytocin stimulates nerves or muscles
 ATTRACTION, PASSION,
LOVE
The Learned Component:
Wide range of factors play a role in sexual motivation
and sexual attraction:
Chance meeting, thoughts about the other person,
dating frequency
Arousal increases attraction to an attractive opposite-sex
target and decreases attraction to an unattractive
opposite-sex target.
Intimacy: feelings of closeness, connectedness, and
being bonded.
Positive self-schema: positive view of our ability to
become attached and others are available/supportive.
ATTRACTION, PASSION, LOVE
The Cognitive Component:
Staying in love depends on making the decision that
you love someone and are willing to invest the time
and energy necessary to stay in the relationship.
Commitment involves:
Satisfying the needs of two distinct individuals.
Accepting that there are going to be differences or problems
to be resolved to mutual satisfaction of both parties.
Willingness to invest time and energy.
Passion: physical/emotional aspects of love
Intimacy: feelings of closeness, connectedness
Commitment: time/effort invested to make relationship
work
RESEARCH : STERNBERGS
INTERACTION MODEL OF LOVE
Psychology defines love as a cognitive and social
phenomenon. Psychologist Robert Sternberg argued
that love has three components: intimacy, commitment
and passion formulated a triangular theory of love.
Intimacy is defined by two people sharing confidences
and details of their personal lives, typically illustrated
within friendships and romantic love affairs.
Commitment however is based on the prospect that the
relationship a permanent one.
Passion, as the most common form of love, also
encompasses sexual attraction and is shown in both
romantic love and infatuation. Varying degrees of all
three of these components are said to be shown in all
forms of love.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1DZtbsrRSA
SEX HORMONES
Sex hormones are produced by the adrenal glands and the gonads (testes- male,
ovaries- female)

Males and females have same sex hormones, but in different standard level
Male sexual behavior governed by:
Androgens (testosterone)
Female sexual behavior governed by:
Estrogen (estradiol)
Progestins (progesterone)
BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN
Men and women will same intelligence level (IQ), but not in certain specific
ways (behaviour and thoughts )

Differences can be affected by different hormone levels

Example: Men tend to be superior on visual-spatial tasks. (playing chess, memorising,
navigating maps and maths )Women with high testosterone perform better on spatial
task.

Sex hormones cause differences in behavior

Strong evidence comes from research on play.

Example: Females who have had prenatal exposure to high androgen levels show a
tomboy pattern- rough, active outdoor play, high interest in practical clothing, boy
toys and playmates
SEXUAL ORIENTATION
Factors

Biological factor
Learning factors
Homosexuality can be affected with biological (genes) and learning factors. (It is no longer self-evident
that homosexuality is acquired or is the result of choice.)

Learning plays an important role

The Kinsey Institute Study

-Sexual orientation is determined before adolescence.

-Homosexual behavior emerges from homosexual feelings.

-Previous of heterosexual experiences are found unsatisfying.

-Identification with either parent played no significant role.

-No evidence of any particular type of mother that produces homosexual children.
SEXUAL ORIENTATION
The Cognitive Component:
There is little or no evidence that homosexuality is actively chosen (born in nature)
Cognitive factors play important role in how homosexuals come to think about/express
themselves.

Cases Six Stages of Homosexuality

Stage 1: Identity confusion.
Stage 2: Identity comparisons
Stage 3: Identity tolerance.
Stage 4: Identity acceptance.
Stage 5: Identity pride.
Stage 6: Identity synthesis.

Link below to test your sexual orientation:

http://www.allthetests.com/relationship-tests-love-quizzes.php