Relationships and Human Sexuality

Relationships and Human Sexuality

• Module 11 focuses on relationships and human sexuality.

Communication

• Communication can be key to developing healthy relationships.
• Verbal communication involves a desire to know, a decision to tell and includes talking and listening.
• Nonverbal communication accounts for 67% of communication.
• Nonverbal cues include touch, eye contact, facial expression and proximity.
• Nonverbal comms comes from our own sense of self-esteem.
• Self-disclosure, listening, and feedback are also important.

Types of Relationships

• Self-perception influences interactions with others; lack of self-esteem can impact relationships.
• Friendship enhances feelings of warmth, trust, and respect, and involves honesty, acceptance, empathy and loyalty.
• Dating involves spending time together, practicing communication skills, seeing if romantic feelings develop, and testing compatibility.
• Romantic attraction varies, warmth and kindness, physical attributes and financial stability can play a role.
• Intimacy involves open trust, sharing close confidential thoughts and feelings, is not always sexual.

Sternberg's Love Triangle

• All three components, passion, commitment and intimacy, are needed for a good relationship.

Mature Love

• Relationships often start with passionate love and evolve into mature love.
• A relationship shows promise if you feel at ease with your partner.
• A good relationship is when you feel good about your partner whether they're around or not.
• In good relationships you can say no to each other without feeling guilty.
• A sign of healthy relationship is if you feel cared for, appreciated, and accepted.
• A partner who listens to what you say indicates a promising relationship.

Crucial Ingredients for Commitment

• Love, sex, and intimacy are key.
• Mutual trust, caring, respect, affection and loyalty are vital.
• Willingness to tolerate flaws is needed.
• Effective communication is important.
• Willingness to change in response to each other is necessary.
• Sharing of duties and responsibilities (egalitarian roles) helps with commitment.
• Balance of individual and joint interests and activities are required.
• Shared morals and values are also key and require communication.

Committed Relationships

• Committed relationships can take the form of partnerships, cohabitation, or marriage.
• Fewer people are getting married.
• More couples are choosing to live together.
• Married people tend to be healthier and live longer compared to non-married people.
• Selection theory suggests healthy people are more attractive and more likely to get married.
• Protection theory suggests married people look after each other and provide support.
• There is no one "normal" form.
• Married or cohabitating people are healthier than single, divorced, or widowed individuals.
• Some reasons are genetic selection and support of a spouse/partner.
• Factors contributing to the health of a married/cohabitating person includes the positive effect of raising children and better lifestyle values.
• It is likely a combination of factors.

Unhealthy Relationships

• Everyone should be able to recognize warning signs.
• Physical, emotional, or sexual abuse is a warning sign.
• Codependency is unhealthy avoid being codependent.
• Criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and withdrawal are bad.
• Attempting to control various aspects of someone's life is unhealthy.
• Frequently humiliating you is a sign.
• If they are wanting to know where you are at all times is no good.
• Becoming jealous or angry is not ok.
• Threatening harm is cause for concern.
• Trying to coerce you is not ok.

Marriage and Divorce Trends

• There are statistics available on marriage and divorce rates over time.

Factors Affecting Marriage Dissolution

• Factors affecting marriage dissolution above 1 should be investigated.

Same-Sex Relationships

• Same-sex marriage was legalized in 2004.
• Approximately 16.5% of same-sex couples are married.
• ~54% of married same-sex couples are male.
• Half of all same-sex couples live in Canada's three largest cities.
• 16% of married same-sex couples have children.
• 7% of common-law same-sex couples have children.

Sex and Gender

• Sex is biological categorization based on physical features like chromosomes, hormones, and genitalia; most individuals are XX (female) or XY (male).
• Gender includes roles and identity; social categorization is based on psychological characteristics and roles that society assigns to the biological sexes.
• Gender is more fluid than sex.
• Sexual orientation is an individual's emotional and erotic orientation toward people of the same sex or another sex.
• Both are aspects of personality and identity.

LGBTQ Identities in Canada

• There are many terms people use to describe themselves.
• In a 2016 survey of Canadian universities, respondents described themselves using ten different categories.
• Read Ch. 11 and be able to define each of the terms shown in the table.

Female Reproductive Anatomy

• The egg (ovum) unites with sperm during fertilization.
• Ovaries produce eggs, which are released during ovulation, and estrogen and progesterone.
• The uterine tube is the site of fertilization.
• The uterus is the region where the fetus develops.
• The vagina is a canal for childbirth and accepts the penis.

External Female Genitalia (Vulva)

• The vulva is the outer female genitalia and an erogenous zone.
• The mons pubis is a pubic region covered by hair.
• Labia (minor/major) are inner and outer folds of skin that cover the vagina.
• The clitoris is a pleasure center.

Male Reproductive Anatomy

• Testes produce sperm and testosterone.
• The scrotum encloses and protects testes.
• The epididymis stores sperm.
• The vas deferens connects the epididymis with the urethra.
• The urethra transports both semen and urine through the penis and out of the body.

External Male Genitalia

• The penis contains two types of erectile tissue.
• Erection occurs when spaces in erectile tissue fill with blood.
• The end of the penis is called the glans.
• The posterior indentation called the frenulum is the most sensitive part of the penis.
• The scrotum contains sperm-producing testes.
• Optimal sperm production occurs at 34°C although body temp is 37°C.
• Circumcision is the surgical removal of the prepuce (foreskin).

Does Size Matter?

• The size of the penis can shrink due to cold temperature or nervousness.
• Average penis length is between 5-6 inches erect.
• Average aroused vagina length is 4.25-4.75 inches.
• The first fifth of the female vagina has the most nerve endings.
• Data shows 80% or more of women are satisfied with their partner's size, whereas only 55% of men are satisfied with their size.

Masters and Johnson

• William Masters & Virginia Johnson were renowned sex researchers.
• They researched Human Sexual Response (1966).
• They studied Human Sexual Inadequacy (1970).
• Human Sexuality was studied in 1988.
• They conducted laboratory studies.
• Human volunteers (382 M, 312 F) had intercourse or masturbated while being observed, measured, & videotaped.
• They described '4 stages of human sexual response'.
• Excitement phase is phase 1/4.
• Plateau phase is phase 2/4.
• Orgasmic phase is phase 3/4.
• Resolution phase is phase 4/4
• Males also experience a Refractory phase.

Female vs. Male Sexual Response

• Males experience a refractory period following orgasm, during which another orgasm cannot be achieved.
• Females can experience a prolonged orgasm compared with males.
• The female resolution stage may be longer.
• Females are able to achieve multiple orgasms in short succession.
• Men are generally aroused more easily.
• Females may or may not have an orgasm with vaginal stimulation alone.
• Many require stimulation of the clitoris to achieve orgasm.

Normal and Abnormal Sexual Variations

• Normal sexual variations include straight, curious, bisexual, and gay relationships.
• Celibacy, asexuality, touching and foreplay, erotic fantasy, masturbation, and oral sex (cunnilingus/fellatio) are normal variations.
• Vaginal and anal intercourse are normal, however, anal intercourse has the highest transmission of HIV, gonorrhea, and syphilis, and anal tissue tears easily.
• UNHEALTHY AND ILLEGAL variations include ANY non-consensual sex (e.g., assault, forcing, rape), ANY sex involving minors or children.
• Commercial sex (e.g., prostitution) also varies in acceptability.

Male Performance Concerns

• Erectile dysfunction is a male performance concern.
• Physiological risk factors include high BP, high cholesterol, diabetes, alcohol, smoking, obesity, nerve damage which can result in erectile dysfunction.
• Treatment for erectile dysfunction is a constriction ring, Viagra/Cialis.
• Psychological factors such as performance anxiety, stress, and mental disorders can result in erectile dysfunction.
• These cases are generally treated with therapy rather than medications.
• Premature ejaculation is a male performance concerned and is treated with practicing control/endurance, non-sexual thoughts, swapping foreplay and sex throughout, and desensitizing creams.

Female Performance Concerns

• Female Sexual Dysfunction includes persistent and recurring issues with arousal, desire, sexual response, pain, and/or achieving orgasm.
• Female Sexual Dysfunction can occur at any stage of life.
• Can be physiological, psychological, hormonal, and psychosocial.
• Treatment or therapy based on individual situations.