PSYC108

Science of Psychology

Onur Yılmaz (MSc)

Department of Psychology 1
Eastern Mediterranean University
Sexuality and Gender – II

11-2
• Previously...

• Key terms
• Gender Roles
• Sexism & Sexual Harassment
• Gender Similarities & Differences

11-3
MODULE 34: The Diversity of
Sexual Behavior

• What is “normal” sexual behavior?

• How do most people behave sexually?
• Heterosexuality-Homosexuality-Bisexuality-Transgerism-Intersex

11-4
MODULE 34: The Diversity of Sexual Behavior

• Gregory, 1856
• Spinal disease
• Headache
• Epilepsy impaired eyesight
• Pain in the side
• Bleeding at the lungs
• Spasm of the heart
• Sudden death...

• Corn flakes owe their invention

to a 19th-century physician, 11-5

• J.W. Kellogg
Approaches to Sexual
Normality
• Statistical Approach
• Deviation from the average or typical behavior
• Behaviors that are rare and uncommon in a society
• Having sex in bedroom vs. Having sex in the kitchen
• Standards/Ideals approach
• What standard should we use?
• Philosophy? Bible? Quran? Societal rules?
• None of these are universally acceptable
• Looking at Psychological Consequences
• Sexual behavior is considered abnormal
• If it produces stress, distress, anxiety, guilt or harmful
• Impact on a person’s sense of well-being 11-6
• Functionality
• Can the individual work and pay taxes?
 Surveying Sexual Behavior
Alfred Kinsey, 1930s

• If you have a sexual problem right now what do you do?

• What did people do before?

• Alfred Kinsey launched the first systematic effort in 1930s to

investigate human sexual behavior for the first time
• Interviewed tens of thousands of people

11-7
Surveying Sexual Behavior

• Mastrubation
• Sexual self-stimulation
• Using the hand to rub the genitals

• Does mastrubation cause mental or physical illness?

• 94% of males and 63% of females mastrubated at least once among

college students

• True or False: Masturbation is only something people do if they do 11-8

not have a sexual partner
• Married couples?
Heterosexuality
• Research is more focused on heterosexual intercourse

• Premarital sex
• Having sex before marriage

11-9
 Heterosexuality
• Sexual attraction and behavior directed to the other sex

• Double standard
• The view that premarital sex is permissible for males
• But not for females
• Marrying virgins

• A new view: Permissiveness with Affection

• Premarital intercourse is permissible
• If it occurs within a long-term commited relationship

• Still, double standards has not disappeared completely

• Attitudes are almost always more lenient/tolerant towards the male

• Among many other dimensions, sex influences marital satisfaciton 11-10

• What is typical?
• With increasing age and length of marriage, frequency declines
• Still, even in late adulthood – high quality sex at least a month
 Homosexuality and Bisexuality
• Gay – Lesbian
• Sexually attraction towards the same sex
• Bisexuality
• Sexual attraction towards both sexes

Rates
• Estimates suggest that 25% of males and 15% of females
• Engaged in at least one gay or lesbian experience during adulthood
• 5-10% of both men and women are exclusively gay or lesbian
• Is it two distinct orientation? (heterosexual vs. homosexual)
• Sexual orientation is dependent on a person’s romantic feelings

11-11
Determining Sexual Orientation
• What causes homosexuality or bisexuality?
• Biological? Social causes?

Biological Factors
Twin studies
• When one twin identifies himself or herself as homosexual
• Occurrence of homosexuality in other twin is higher
• 50% more likely
• Same results occur for seperated twins (in early life)
• Similar social environments

11-12
Determining Sexual Orientation
• Observations in the nature
• Buffalo, elephant, bison, sea lion, cat, dog, monkey, zebra, grizzly
bear, dolphin, deer, horse, baboon, rat, fox, tiger, lion, bat,
kangaroo, koala, wolf, gazelle, sheep, human, goat, whale,
rhinoceros, walrus, hamster

• Brain structure
• Evidence suggests that differences in brain structures exist
• Structure of the «anterior hypothalamus», an area that governs
sexual behavior is different in size

• Also, «anterior commisure», a bundle of neurons connecting

right/left hemisphere of the brain is larger
11-13
Determining Sexual Orientation
Social Factors
• Parental Influences?
• It is argued that childrearing practices or family dynamics affect
sexual orientation (Freud, 1922)
• Research evidence does not support such explanatinons (Isay,1994;
Roughton, 2002)

• Learning Theories
• Through rewards or punishments, we learn to be homosexual or
bisexual. Just like you are reinforced to prefer swimming over tennis

• A young adolescent who had an unpleasant heterosexual

experience might develop disagreeable associations
• Or a rewarding, pleasant gay or lesbian experience 11-14

• What about low-esteem, anxiety, depression and stress caused?

Transgenderism
• Transsexual
• People whose gender identity is not associated with their assigned sex
• Feel that they are trapped in the body of the other gender
• Some may seek sex-change operations
• Genitals are surgically removed
• Counseling
• Hormone injections
• Outcome is positive (O’Keefe & Fox, 2003; Stegerwald & Janson,
2003; Lobato, Koff & Manenti, 2006; Richards, 2011)

• It is NOT about sexual orientation

• It is about sexual identity 11-15
Transgenderism
• Transvestites
• Who dress in the clothes of the other gender
• Agender
• No gender identity – Gender neutral
• Third Gender
• Feminine Man/Masculine Woman

11-16
Intersex
• A person is born with an atypical
combination of sexual organs or
chromosomal or gene patterns

• Variety of conditions
• A girl may be born with a large clitoris
• A girl may have ovaries but lack a vaginal
openning
• A boy may be born with a notably small penis
• A boy may be born with a divided scrotum

• Anatomy doesn’t always show up at birth

• Some people realize they are intersex when
they can’t get pregnant 11-17

• Sometimes it is revealed in an autopsy

11-18
Homophobia/Biphobia/Transphobia

• Anti-gay and anti-lesbian prejudice and discrimination and

includes everything from negative attitudes towards LGBT to hate
crimes based on sexuality or gender identity

• Series of Statements
• ‘ I would not want to join an organization that has homosexuals in
its membership’
• ‘Homosexuals should be locked up to protect society’

• Unemployment
• Ostracism/rejection/exclusion
• Violence 11-19
• Hate crime
• Murder
 Review
• 1st Module
• Key terms
• Gender Roles
• Sexism & Sexual Harassment
• Gender Similarities & Differences
• Biological & evolutionary factors
• Social factors

2nd Module
• Sexual Arousal

3rd Module
• What is “normal” sexual behavior?
• How do most people behave sexually?
• Heterosexuality-Homosexuality-Bisexuality-Transgerism-Intersex 20
• Homophobia – Biphobia – Transphobia