The Sexual Self: My Sexual Identity and Gender
The Sexual Self: My Sexual Identity and Gender
The Sexual Self: My Sexual Identity and Gender
Clitoris – is a complex
partly hidden structure or
organ of female external
reproductive anatomy
which, like a penis, has a
shaft and glans.
Female External Reproductive Organs (Vulva)
Female External Reproductive Organs (Vulva)
Female External Reproductive Organs (Vulva)
Female External Reproductive Organs (Vulva)
The Vestibule – a region
enclosed by the labia
minora containing within it
the external opening of the
vagina, the urethra, hymen,
and the invisible tiny
openings of the Bartholin’s
glands.
Female External Reproductive Organs (Vulva)
The hymen – is a
thin piece of
mucosal tissue
that surrounds or
partially covers
Normal hymen shapes: A. Crescentic, the external
B. Annular, C. Fimbriated, D. Redundant. vaginal opening.
Female External Reproductive Organs (Vulva)
Abnormal hymens
make penetration
impossible without
serious tearing and
bleeding and also
Abnormal hymen shapes: A. Cribriform, the release of
B. Imperforate, C. Septate. menstrual material.
Female External Reproductive Organs (Vulva)
The state of the
hymen is not a
reliable indicator of
virginity, although it
continues to be
considered so in
certain cultures.
Intact Broken
Sexual Arousal (sexual excitement) – is a state
of activation of sexual desire/feelings produced
by a stimulation of the body’s erogenous zones
during or in anticipation of a sexual activity.
Erogenous zones - areas of the human body
that have heightened sensitivity, the
stimulation of which may generate a sexual
response, such as relaxation and pleasure, the
production of sexual fantasies, sexual arousal
and orgasm.
Sexual Arousal (sexual excitement) – is a state of activation
of sexual desire/feelings produced by a stimulation of the
body’s erogenous zones during or in anticipation of a sexual
activity.
Erogenous zones - areas of the human body that have
heightened sensitivity, the stimulation of which may
generate a sexual response, such as relaxation and
pleasure, the production of sexual fantasies, sexual arousal
and orgasm.
Masturbation – the sexual
stimulation of one's own genitals for
sexual arousal or other sexual
pleasure, usually to the point of
orgasm.
Manual stimulation of a partner, such
as fingering, a handjob or mutual
masturbation, is a common sexual
act and can be a substitute for
penetration.
Sexual arousal
is closely tied
to variations in
hormonal
levels.
In humans,
hormones play
less of a role.
Cognitive
factors play
an
important
role in
sexual
arousal in
humans. De Figuris Veneris by Édouard-Henri Avril
The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife by Hokusai
Men think about sex more often than women.
Women tend to
place more
emphasis on
emotional
closeness with a
lover than men.
Men and women have equal potential for sexual arousal.
Culture influences the expression of sexual desire.
Expression of
sexual desire is
also influenced by
sexual scripts or
the stereotyped
patterns of
expectations
on how people should behave sexually.
Sexual-response
cycle – pattern of
physiological
changes that
occur in the body
of men and
women during
sexual arousal
and intercourse.
Sexual-response
cycle – pattern of
physiological
changes that
occur in the body
of men and
women during
sexual arousal
and intercourse.
Orgasm - the intense, pleasurable, and ecstatic
sensation experienced at the
climax of sexual arousal.
Orgasms are often associated
with other involuntary actions,
including vocalizations and
muscular spasms in other
areas of the body and a
generally euphoric sensation.
Orgasm is the climactic, shortest phase of the sexual
response cycle, typically
lasting only several
seconds.
Refractory period - the
length of time during which
a male cannot become
aroused from any kind of
sexual stimulation.
Early patterns of
relationships
could form the
foundations on
which intimacy
during
adulthood is
established.
According to anthropology professor Helen
Fisher, there
are three
stages of
falling in love:
lust,
attraction,
attachment.
1. LUST – the feeling of
sexual desire and
attraction towards
one’s object of
affection.
You want to seduce
them or be seduced by
them.
Lust is driven by the hormones
testosterone in men and
estrogen in women.
But lust is different than love.
Injecting men with testosterone
makes them desire a potential
lover more, but not necessarily
fall in love in any lasting way.
2. ATTRACTION – the feeling
of being more intensely
drawn towards a specific
thing or person.
Attraction is distinguished
from lust because it involves
focusing our attention to a
particular person or desire.
In attraction, you begin to
obsess about your lover
and crave for
his/her presence.
Attraction is also in part
driven by different
hormones: adrenaline,
dopamine and serotonin.
Dopamine - hormone associated with motivation,
reward, and goal-directed
behavior.
Released when we do
things that feel good to
us.
Dopamine also creates a
sense of novelty.
Norepinephrine (noradrenalin) - responsible for
the extra surge of energy and racing heart that you
feel, as well as the loss
of appetite and desire
for sleep.
It puts your body into a
more alert state in
which you are ready
for action.
Serotonin - a hormone that is known to influence
mood, sexual desire and function, appetite, sleep,
and some social behavior.
Low levels of serotonin were found in both people
with obsessive-compulsive disorder and those who
were recently in love.
3. ATTACHMENT –
a deep and
enduring
emotional bond
that connects one
person to another
across time and
space.
Attachment is the predominant factor in long-term
relationships – commitment.
While lust and attraction are
pretty much exclusive to
romantic entanglements,
attachment mediates
friendships, parent-infant
bonding, social cordiality, and
many other intimacies as well.
In attachment and commitment,
dopamine is replaced by oxytocin
and vasopressin, which create the
desire to bond, affiliate with, and
nurture your partner.
You want to cuddle and be close
and share your deepest secrets
with her.
You plan and dream together.
Oxytocin – is a powerful hormone which influences
interaction and sexual reproduction, playing a role in
behaviors from maternal attachment to an infant and
milk release to empathy,
generosity, and orgasm.
Released significantly
during sex, childbirth,
and breastfeeding.
When people hug or kiss a loved one, oxytocin levels
increase which
promote feelings
of devotion and
trust.
Hence, oxytocin is
often called “the
love hormone” or
“cuddle hormone”.
Oxytocin is also released in
large quantities in sex,
especially in orgasm.