Human Sexual Development and Puberty

Sexual Self

• Refers to one's feelings, actions, and behaviours concerning various aspects, including:
  • Development of secondary sex characteristics
  • Human reproductive system
  • Erogenous zones of the body
  • Biology of sexual behaviour
  • Chemistry of lust, love, and attachment

Human Sexual Development

• Begins immediately after fertilization of the egg.
• Rapid reproductive development takes place in the uterus.
• At birth, reproductive systems are not fully developed until puberty.
• All fertilized eggs initially develop as female, with gender differentiation triggered by the SRY gene on the Y chromosome.
• The presence or absence of this gene determines the development of male or female gonads.

Puberty and Secondary Sex Characteristics

• Stage of development where individuals become sexually mature
• Divided into five stages
• Characteristics of each stage vary for girls and boys
• Puberty in Girls
  • Ovaries enlarge and hormone production begins (approx. 8-11 years old)
  • First external sign of puberty is breast development (approx. 8-14 years old)
  • Pubic hair gets coarser and darker (approx. 9-15 years old)
  • Whitish discharge from the vagina may occur during this stage
  • Menstruation begins (approx. 10-16 years old)
• Puberty in Boys
  • No visible signs of development initially, but male hormones become more active (approx. 9-12 years old)
  • Height increases, and body shape changes (approx. 9-15 years old)
  • Testicles and scrotum grow (approx. 11-16 years old)
  • Penis starts to grow (approx. 11-16 years old)
  • Pubic hair gets darker and coarser (approx. 11-16 years old)
  • Voice deepens (approx. 13-17 years old)
  • First ejaculations occur (approx. 12-16 years old)
  • Growth spurt (approx. 13-15 years old)

What Philosophers Think About Beauty

• Before the 18th century, beauty was considered objective.
  • St. Augustine believed that things were beautiful because they gave delight.
  • Plato argued that beauty exists in the realm of forms, and things appear beautiful because they reflect this ideal.
  • Aristotle believed beauty is found in order, symmetry, and definiteness.
• In the 18th century, the view of beauty shifted to subjective.
  • David Hume argued that beauty exists only in the mind of the beholder, with individual perceptions varying.
  • Immanuel Kant believed that judgments of taste are not cognitive but aesthetical, based on subjective experiences.
  • Francis Hutcheson proposed an "internal sense of beauty" that operates independently of the external sense of sight or hearing.

Psychological Discoveries About Beauty

• Studies show that perceived attractiveness can influence earnings.
• The halo effect, a cognitive bias, suggests that attractive individuals are often perceived more favorably in terms of personality traits.
• Evolutionary psychology connects facial features to potential mate quality.
• Hormonal influences shape facial features, creating gender-specific characteristics.

Cultural Influence on Body Image

• Cultural traditions can positively or negatively impact body image and self-esteem.
• Body image refers to one's thoughts and feelings about their own body.

Relationship Between Body Image and Self-Esteem

• This aspect is not directly elaborated upon in the text.

Importance of Physical Beauty

• This aspect is not directly elaborated upon in the text.

Explore the intricate processes of human sexual development from fertilization to puberty. This quiz covers the development of secondary sex characteristics, the human reproductive system, and the biological and chemical aspects of sexual behavior. Test your understanding of the stages of puberty and the role of genetics in sexual differentiation.