Gender and Sexuality as a Psychosocial Issue

TOPIC 1
 What Does Psychosocial Mean?

The term psychosocial is an encompassing term. It is

composed by two primary
aspects: psychological and social.
▪ Psychological pertains to anything associated with
mental process and behavior.
▪ Social pertains to anything associated with human
relationships, connection, and interaction.
 What Does Psychosocial Mean?

▪ On the other hand, the social aspect of gender and

sexuality primarily anchors itself on the field
of sociology and allied fields such as social psychology.
▪ In essence, sociology is a field of science which concerns
itself with the human person's realities and experiences as
part of groups and institutions, including the structures
and functions of these institutions, and the dynamics of
human relationships within them.
 Understanding the Psychosocial
Dimension
▪ Our experience of gender and sexuality is generally a relational
experience.
▪ It is relational because while as individuals, we have our own
affect, cognition, and behavior to be aware of, we are also viewing
ourselves in relation to others who also have their own personal
preoccupations.
▪ There are some elements of our gendered self which are best
viewed in an ecological context -- that is, in the circumstances in
our physical and social environment.
 Awareness

▪ At the front of our experience as gendered

beings is awareness.
▪ In simpler terms, awareness is our
conscious understanding of something.
 Self-Awareness
▪ As individuals, we are in constant process towards self-
awareness.
▪ Who and what am I? What do I like/dislike? What are my
strengths and weakness? What motivates me? What are
my aspirations? We are in an endless process of asking
and trying to understand.
▪ In the context of gender and sexuality, we ask: What am I
physiologically? Am I happy with what I am? How do I
genuinely see myself? How do I feel about myself as a
sexual being? Is there anything good I should do?
 Other Awareness
▪ But then again, we are not isolated in a vacuum.
▪ We are social beings. We live our lives in relation to others.
▪ Hence, as we try to understand ourselves more, we are
also in a constant process towards other awareness, that
is, understanding others.
▪ What are the other's motivations, preferences, and
aspirations? Where am I positioned in her or his life, vis-a-
vis where is s/he positioned in my life? How different and
similar am I and other?
 Intimacy and Relationship
▪ In certain situations, when two people recognize and
become aware of each other, they decide to keep close
distance in each other's lives, share their personal
bubbles, so to speak, and allow frequency of interaction
between them.
▪ This forges some form of human relationship -- a bond
formed between two or more people, manifested through
communication and interaction.
 Intimacy and Relationship
▪ These relationships may be in the form of family,
friendships, romantic relationships, or others.
▪ While in these relationships, we share resources and
emotions, we, as individuals, constantly aim to further
understand our own selves as we also try to understand
others and be understood by them.
▪ This process of knowing others and allowing others to
know us is intimacy.
 Intimacy and Relationship
▪ As social beings, we also learn from our own experiences and
from the lessons taught to us by those who have come before us.
▪ How we behave in relation to other people, with due consideration
to social expectations related to our gender, and how we make
choices to balance out personal goals and social goals, might be
passed on to us through education and other cultural
preoccupations.
▪ The process by which we learn cultural norms and traditions is
referred to as socialization.
 Well-Being as a
Psychological Goal
▪ The ultimate goal of understanding
the psychological aspects of our
experiences is well-being -- a
state of satisfaction, meaning, and
purpose.
 Well-Being as a
Psychological Goal
▪ There are two side to well-being. One is that
kind of well-being, which is observed,
outward, and can be evaluated through the
presence or absence of particular elements
in our environment.
▪ This is referred to as objective well-being.
 ▪ Does the physical environment allow expression of
diversity? Does the physical infrastructure mitigate
In the aspect of any possibility of abuse and violence related to
gender?
gender and
▪ Are material resources (money, properties) equitably
sexuality, here available to men, women, and other people with
are some different genders? Are these resources sufficient for
them?
questions to ▪ Are there health systems which cater to gender-
ask: related needs? Are there wellness programs that
support women, men, and people of different
genders?
 Well-Being as a Psychological Goal

▪ Another side of well-being is our personal experience of

satisfaction, meaning, and purpose. This is referred to
as subjective well-being.
▪ It is subjective because it pertains to our own appreciation
of how well we are.
▪ Sometimes, even when the environment fully provides for
all our needs, we remain unsatisfied, and thus, having low
sense of subjective well-being.
 Well-Being as a
Psychological Goal
▪ There are also moments where the
environment has shortcomings, but we are
at peace and satisfied within.
▪ In a common term, the closest word to it
that also mean subjective well-being
is happiness.
 Well-Being as a
Psychological Goal
Some of the question to ask are as follows:
▪ How far is your sense of satisfaction about
the various areas of your life as a sexual
being?
▪ Is your purpose as a person clear to you
and if not yet, what are you doing to clarify
this purpose?
Dimensions of Well-Being
The following are just the primary dimensions of well-being
which we must investigate when trying to understand the
psychosocial condition of a person:
▪ physical - physical/biological health.
▪ emotional - positive feelings; mood stability.
▪ mental - clarity of mind; healthy thought process.
▪ material - available and adequate financial and other
resources.
▪ social - healthy and positive interaction and relationship
with others.
Love, Intimacy, and Relationship
TOPIC 2
Love as a
Human
Experience
Love is a human experience
differently defined and
conceptualized.
 Love as a Culture Universal

▪ Love is constructed as a culture universal.

▪ A culture universal is a phenomenon experienced similarly by
people across time and cultures.
▪ This means that humans, whether those who lived in the past of
who are living now and regardless of their geographic location and
socio-cultural identities, have experienced love, in one way or
another.
▪ The way we appreciate and experience this phenomenon may be
unique, but it is a similar phenomenon altogether.
 Love is a Social
Phenomenon
▪ Likewise, love is viewed as a social
phenomenon.
▪ Social phenomena are event or
experiences which ensue within
our interaction and relationship
with other people.
 Love is a Social
Phenomenon
▪ Loving entails communication -- the process of
giving and receiving information between and
among people.
▪ It also entails the use of language -- symbols
that are culturally agreed upon as possessing
certain meanings and that are used by people to
express certain realities and worldviews.
 Love as an Emotion

▪ Love is also construed as an emotion.

▪ Emotions are physiological responses that we
evaluate psychologically as we experience
particular life events.
▪ There are basic emotions such as joy, sadness,
fear, disgust, and anger, among others.
 Love as an Emotion

▪ There are also complex emotions which are a

combination of basic emotions in varying
magnitudes and are made intricate by
circumstances surrounding the experience (e.g.,
the people involved, the place and time where
the emotion is experienced, etc.).
▪ Love, as we know it, is a complex emotion.
 Love is a
Neurobiological Event
▪ With recent advancements in science, love,
now, can be studied as a neurobiological
event.
▪ Every split of a second, information is being
passed on within our nervous system -- a
conglomerate of organs (including our
brain, our spinal cord, and our nerves,
among others) responsible for our ability to
process and transmit essential information
among the many organs in our body.
 Love is a
Neurobiological Event
▪ The information comes in the form of
electrical signal running along
our neurons (nerve cell), which movement
is facilitated by our neurotransmitters - a
variety of chemicals found in our nervous
system.
 Love is a
Neurobiological Event

▪ Neurobiologically, the experience of love is

associated with various parts of our brain.
▪ For instance, the loving experience is
commonly associated with the activation of
the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of our
brain which is just right behind our left eyes.
▪ It is also associated with the increased
amount in endorphins -- hormones
believed to provide humans a good mood.
 Theorizing Love

▪ Since love is a rather complex idea, which

can be described, defined, and experienced
in myriad of ways, several theories and
frameworks offer diverse perspectives on
how it can be understood and explained.
 Psychodynamic View on
Love

▪ Psychodynamic theory is a collective term,

which pertains to the Psychoanalytic tradition
forwarded by Sigmund Freud, as well as the
succeeding theories that support, redefine, or
refute his propositions.
 Psychodynamic View on
Love
▪ The psychodynamic theory posits that we have
desires, and motives fueled by our life (Eros) and
death (Thanatos) instincts.
▪ For instance, desirable behaviors that promote
positive relationship with others might be viewed
as influenced by our life instincts, while
aggressive behaviors that hurt, manipulate, or
harm ourselves and others might be viewed as
influenced by our death instincts.
 Psychodynamic View on Love

▪ Both the life and death instincts are thought to stream from our
unconscious - the province of our mind, which we are highly
unaware of.
▪ Likewise, the psychodynamic view puts prime on the influence of
our early life experiences (from conception to around six years
old) -- referred to as formative years -- in our personality
development.
 Psychodynamic View on
Love
▪ Crucial to this life stage is our relationship with
our primary caregiver -- typically the mother.
▪ It suggests that the kind of attachment (psychic
bond) we have with our primary caregiver/s,
influence our relationships in later life, including
our choice of romantic partners and the way we
relate and operate within this partnership.
 Psychodynamic View on
Love
▪ Hence, from a psychodynamic view, love
can be seen as a manifestation of our eros
and the placement of our libido (life energy)
unto an object (a thing or a person towards
who we transfer our psychic energies to
ease pain or achieve pleasure).
 Color Wheel of Love
John Alan Lee suggested that there are different
types of love.
✓ The primary types are eros (sexual and
romantic), philia (friendly), and storge
(parental/filial love).
✓ The secondary types are pragma (practical
love), agape (universal love), and philautia
(self love).
It is possible for us to experience not just one, but
two or more of these types of love in our lifetime.
Triangular Model of
Love
▪ One of the most popular theories of
love is the triangular model by
Sternberg.
▪ This theory looks at love from
a psychometric stance, which
means that it is generally
concerned about trying to measure
love as a psychological variable and
in determining the various
dimensions and facets that love has
as experienced by people.
 Triangular Model of Love
According to Sternberg, love has three
interlocking dimensions:
✓ Passion refers to the physical/emotional
aspect.
✓ Intimacy pertains to the
psychological/relational aspect.
✓ Commitment pertains to the agency
component, that is the choice we make
with regards to engaging and maintaining
the loving relationship. The combination of
these dimensions yields a particular love
type.
 Romantic and
Companionate Love
Hatfield and Rapson, on the other hand,
suggests that there are two general types of
love:
✓ Romantic love is characterized by intense
passion -- a state of intense longing for
union with your partner.
✓ Companionate love, on the other hand, is
characterized by intense intimacy ---
emotional closeness -- which is also
characteristic of liking.
 Love Languages
▪ Gary Chapman, a world-renown
author, suggested that people
have various ways through which
we give and receive love.
▪ He referred to these unique ways
as love languages.
▪ Chapman (1995) posited that
there are generally five languages;
namely, words of affirmation,
touch, time, gifts, and acts of
service.
 Words of Affirmation
▪ People whose love language is words of
affirmation tend to verbally express their
thoughts and feelings of love towards the
people they love.
▪ They may be comfortable saying "I love
you's" and articulating other words of
endearment.
▪ They also seem to be generous in
expressing through words their appreciation
of other's presence in their lives, as well as
the positive impact their loved ones have in
them.
 Physical Touch

▪ Those whose love language is physical

touch, on the other hand, express love non-
verbally through hugs, kisses, or simply, a
tap on the back.
▪ They value proximity (nearness) and yearns
for physical contact (not necessarily sexual
in nature) with their partners.
 Quality Time

▪ Those whose love language is quality

time tend to value quality moments with
their loved ones.
▪ They are much willing to create memories
with the people they love.
 Gift Giving

▪ Those love language is gift giving, want to

show and receive affection through material
objects, especially during special
occasions.
 Act of Service

▪ Finally, those whose love language is act of

service, are much willing to serve the other
person by helping her or him in things that
they do.
 Love and Intimate Relationships

▪ Love, although well-studied and variedly-theorized,

remains abstract and obscure unless viewed in the
context of human relationship.
▪ The Greek philosopher, Aristotle, has been widely quoted
as referring to humans as social animals.
▪ This means that we survive, thrive, and flourish when we
are together such that relating to other humans is not only
a sentimental, but also an evolutionary and a practical
process.
 Love and Intimate Relationships

▪ Social connection is necessary for our growth as

individuals.
▪ In certain cases, it also serves as a foundation for family
life, which then provides us humans a venue for
nurturance and care and as a platform where we can
develop to our greatest potentials.
▪ In other cases, it enables us to secure our social position
and provides us human resources to implement our goals
for ourselves and for the greater community.
 ▪ Intimate human relationships start in
acquaintanceship.
▪ We meet up through circumstances and first learn
about basic information about one another.
▪ Crucial at this stage is attraction.
▪ Attraction can take place in an enabling environment.
Acquaintance It can happen when there is propinquity or proximity -
- when we are physically closer to one another.
▪ It can happen when there is exposure -- when due to
proximity, there are repeated possibilities of
interaction.
▪ It can also happen when there is similarity --
common preferences, interests, and probably, beliefs
and values.
 ▪ Some acquaintanceships build up into deeper
relationships.
▪ Frequency of interaction increases.
▪ Kinds of activities shared become diverse.
▪ The involved parties begin to introduce one another to
Buildup each other's friends and families, thus, making to
social network larger and interconnected.
▪ This is the stage when two persons test their
boundaries.
▪ They test the waters before engaging fully and so
committedly in the relationship.
 ▪ The third stage of intimate relationship
is consolidation.
▪ This stage is when people commits to a long-term
relationship with one another, either through a
personal agreement (i.e., exclusivity of partnership,
Consolidation domestic partnership) or a social-legal agreement
and (i.e., marriage).
▪ What makes people commit to a relationship, to the
Continuation point of legitimizing it through marriage?
▪ Often, people set standards that are sustainable (e.g.,
ability of each other to maintain a family or a
household, readiness of each other to raise children,
career, and financial capacities).
 ▪ Unfortunately, some intimate partnerships are unable
to sustain and maintain their commitments or
attraction.
▪ For one, there may be a change in priorities between
the individual couple, such that the conjoint value of
Decline or the partnership is not anymore sufficient.

Deterioration ▪ There may be infidelity -- the breech of loyalty and

promises as agreed upon by both individuals (e.g.,
presence of a third-party, extra-marital affairs).
▪ Or, in other, there may be irreconcilable differences -
- which are already harming each individual and the
partnership as a whole.
 ▪ Finally, for those intimate partnerships who are
unable to address the causes and circumstances
leading to the deterioration of their relationship, the
stages culminate into ending or termination of the
Ending agreements made (either personal or socio-legal)
through informal (e.g., collective decision to end the
relationship) or formal (e.g., marriage dissolution)
means.
Sex and Senses
TOPIC 3
 Sex and Senses

▪ When we were children, we were

taught that there are five bodily
organs, which corresponds to our
primary sense, that we use to
explore and experience the world
around us.
 Sex and Senses

▪ When we were children, we were

taught that there are five bodily
organs, which corresponds to our
primary sense, that we use to
explore and experience the world
around us.
 ▪ Our eyes enable our sense of sight (visual), so that
we are able see visual stimuli (color, size, shape) in
the environment.
▪ Our nose enables sense of smell (olfaction), so that
we are able to experience scent.
▪ Our ears allow us sense of hearing (audition), so that
Sex and we are able to experience sounds of varying tones,
pitches, and volume.
Senses ▪ Our tongue is covered with taste buds that allow
us sense of taste (gustation), so that we are able to
experience the taste of our food and other objects we
put in our mouth.
▪ Then, we have sensory reception in our skin, muscles
and joints which allow us the sense of
touch/feeling so that we are able to have tactile
experiences.
 Sensorium
▪ These five senses comprise
our sensorium -- the totality of our sensory
experiences and perception.
▪ While we receive information from our
environment through the senses, our brain
has the ability to organize and interpret
these numerous stimuli into meaningful
ideas that are useful for our choices
(behavior).
 Human Affect and
the Senses
▪ While human beings are hailed as
rational beings who are constantly
making choices and are behaving
through a set of rational choices
made from higher order thinking
(e.g., evaluating, judging), it is
hypothesized that our affect
(emotions and feelings) actually
play a major role in our behaviors.
 It postulates that in many cases, cognitive processing
(i.e., higher order thinking) plays a lesser role
compared to our emotional responses eliciting
Affective behavior.

Primacy
Hypothesis By virtue of this hypothesis, by default, our emotions
take precedent primarily because these are only
processed and modulated by the limbic system -- the
emotional part of our brain which is more primitive
compared to the ones responsible for higher order
thinking (e.g., neocortex).
 Human Affect and the
Senses
▪ This is where the sensorium and the human
affect meets.
▪ Imagine walking in the woods with your
friends when all of a sudden, a venomous
snake drops down in front of you.
▪ How will you respond to the situation?
 Human Affect and the Senses

As part of our mechanisms for evolution, humans like us have three primary emotional
responses:
✓ A fight response is when we face adverse or dangerous stimuli squarely. Example,
grabbing the nearest solid object in the environment and throwing it to the snake to
"shoo" the snake away.
✓ A flight response is when we move away from the adverse or dangerous stimuli.
Example, running away from the place, finding a new route where the snake cannot
find you.
✓ A freeze response is when you are startled and are unable to make a choice, thus,
unable to more.
 Human Affect and
the Senses
▪ Sometimes, the freeze response
can also be used to buy time so
you can calculate the advantages
and disadvantages of your choice:
shall you fight the snake or fly
away from the scene.
 Basic Emotional Response

▪ In all three basic emotional response, there is

requirement:
✓ We should be able to sense the environment, organize
the stimuli we receive, and interpret these stimuli, so we
can make a choice and corresponding action.
▪ We will not be able to arrive at the behavior if not through
our senses.
▪ This makes our sensorium a necessary component of the
emotional response arc.
Visual Experience
▪ Humans are predominantly visual.
▪ Our societies highly rely on visual culture to co-create
meaning and convey information.
▪ Example, walking down the streets, you will see a lot of
signs which directs you what to do or not do.
▪ These only show that visual culture is an essential element
of our society.
▪ It is assumed that, at the average, when realities are
presented visually, we tend to remember them and easily
retrieve them from our memory.
 Visual Experience

▪ In the context of human sexuality, some studies explored

gender differences in visual stimuli and sexual arousal.
▪ For instance, the study of Rupp and Wallen (2007) found
that men respond more to visual sexual stimuli and tend to
be influenced by the sex of the actors in a sexual scenario.
▪ This means that when confronted by an intimate
interaction, men would tend to be rather influenced by
visual cues (e.g., how the other person loos physically or
what the other person is wearing).
Visual Experience

▪ In the same study, on the other hand, women were found

to be more influenced by context, although they, too, are
responsive to the sexual content of a visual stimuli.
▪ This means that when confronted by an intimate
interaction, women tend to be rather influenced by the
nature of relationship they have with another person (e.g.,
is the other person someone they know and can trust).
 Visual Experience

▪ Other studies explored how heterosexual men and women

would respond to female-filmed and male-filmed videos
(Lann 1994) and to female-chosen and male-chosen
videos (Peterson and Janssen 2007).
▪ These studies established that either gender respond
more intensely on materials filmed and chosen by people
of similar gender.
Visual Experience

▪ What can we glean from these studies?

▪ Women and men differ in strategies of viewing sexual
stimuli.
▪ Women tend to pay more attention to contextual ad
nonsexual cues that men (Lann and Everaerd 1995), and
thus are putting prime on subjective valuing of
circumstances.
 Olfactory Experience

▪ Olfaction in non-human animals, which are believed to

be macrosmatic organism, or organisms having greater
sense of smell, have been in interest among psychologists
since the 1950s.
Olfactory Experience

▪ Conversely, humans and apes are generally believed to

be microsmatic (lesser levels of olfaction) compared to
their non-ape counterparts.
▪ However, recent studies in the field of human sexuality
show that while we humans have limited olfaction, sense
of smell may play and important part in our sexual
response.
 Olfactory Experience

▪ Scientists have tried to explain how human olfaction

influence sexuality.
▪ They identified through possibilities: first, through what is
referred to as signature odor (the unique way that each
individual smells) which is associated with the Major
Histocompatibility Complex, a set of proteins signaling
our immune system the presence of foreign substances,
and second, through what is referred to as pheromones,
substances putatively excreted by our glands which
signals mood and affects social behaviors.
Olfactory Experience

▪ Humans' interest in pheromones, on the other hand, has

been present since the early 1930s when an entomologist
Bethe (1932) suggested that there are hormones emitted
outwards the body.
▪ These are called ectohormones.
▪ In a few decades, the term was replaced with the word
pheromones, and eventually, the concept was generalized
to be true also to mammals.
 Olfactory Experience

▪ In the 1970s for instance, the McClintock effect ((1971)

or menstrual synchrony -- the observation that females in
the same dormitory usually would have their menstruation
at nearly the same time -- was thought to be due to
pheromones.
▪ This culminated in the 1980s when the presence of human
pheromone was hypothesized (Culture and Preti 1986).
Olfactory Experience

What do scientists think human pheromones do?

✓ It is thought to act as attractants (of the opposite sex),
repellants (of the same sex), stabilizer of mother-infant
bond, and modulators of menstrual cycle (Cutler 1999).
 Olfactory Experience

▪ Some chemicals thought to be human hormones are:

✓ (1) androstadienone (AND), a testosterone-like
substance found in male sweat, saliva, and urine;
✓ (2) estratetraenol (EST), an estrogen-like found in
female urine, and (3) 1-pyrroline, a substance found in
human semen, pubic sweat, and smegma.
Tactile Experience
▪ Touch is observed to be an element of intimacy.
▪ It is a sensitive organ as every square inch of it houses
more than a thousand nerve endings.
▪ Hence, in social interactions, particularly intimate ones,
touch holds meaning.
▪ There are only people who we allow to touch us.
▪ There are only parts of our bodies we allow people to
touch.
▪ Touching, just like any other behavior, may also be
governed by social norms.
 Tactile Experience

▪ As a sensation, touch has some elements.

▪ Tactile element pertains to the experience relative to the
object being felt: Is it rough? Is it smooth? Is the surface
hard or soft?
▪ Then there is thermal elements: Is it warm or cold?
▪ Finally, there is vibrational element: Is the pressure of the
touch strong or weak? Is the sensation moving or pulsating
or steady and stationary?
 Tactile Experience
▪ Different parts of the human body also have different threshold of
tactile experience.
▪ Areas such as the mouth, anus, genitals, and nipples are referred
to as primary erogenous zones -- as they are very sensitive to
touch.
▪ The back, cheek, neck, and buttocks are secondary erogenous
zones -- as they are also sensitive to touch, but only supportive of
the primary zones in eliciting response.
▪ Often, these erogenous zones are areas of the body involved in
the reproductive and sexual act.
 Tactile Experience
▪ Human touch is essential in social bonds.
▪ Often, we only give people we trust the right to have tactile
contact with us. It is always consensual act to touch and
be touched.
▪ When we touch, our body produces a hormone
called oxytocin -- it is referred to as the love hormone
because it is believed to influence tribal behaviors and
maternal bonding.
▪ Oxytocin is observed to be produced in vast amounts
during nipple stimulation, such as for instance when a
mother suckles her newly-born.
Auditory Experience

▪ Sexual activities are also a verbal communication process.

▪ Sounds give additional context to sexual situations.
▪ For instance, in sexual interactions, couples may give
verbal erotic encourage, words that manifests feelings
(e.g., I love you, I miss you).
▪ A survey of popular music will show that love and sex are
among the common themes of songs nowadays.
▪ This only emphasize the value of sound in human sexuality.
Sexual Behaviors
TOPIC 4
 What is behavior?

▪ In simpler terms, it refers to actions.

▪ These are things that we do, both overt or observable and covert or not readily
observable by the naked eye.
▪ On a daily basis, we act because of motivation -- something that drives us to do
something.
▪ Some psychologists believe that we behave as a response to stimuli.
▪ Others believe that we do things because we want to achieve pleasure or avoid pain.
▪ Some think it is because we want to achieve a goal towards the fulfillment of our own
potentials and aspirations as a human in search for meaning.
 What is behavior?
▪ What is interesting about behavior is it is readily measurable as opposed to feelings and
thoughts.
▪ You can look at its frequency -- how many times an action is done in a span of time.
▪ You can also check on the duration -- how long does an action take place, say, in
seconds, minutes, or hours.
▪ A behavior has an intensity -- the magnitude by which it is done; Is it forceful? Is it
weak?
▪ Then there is diversity -- what are the varieties of a similar behavior done in various
context or what are the different behaviors we are capable of depending on our physical
characteristics.
 Sexual Behaviors

▪ Sexual behaviors are actions that humans agree to

interpret as an expression of their sexual motivations or
intentions.
▪ It is important to remember that behaviors are given
meaning by people.
▪ For instance, while hugging and kissing maybe considered
sexual in nature, this is not always the case because the
context of the behavior matters.
▪ Sexual behaviors are generally erotic behaviors such that
they involve any of the primary or secondary erotic zones.
 Sexual Behaviors
▪ Sexual behaviors can be types according to the aim of the
behavior.
▪ For instance, sexual behavior such as masturbation or the
stimulation of one's own genitals can be considered as auto-
erotic (self-directed).
▪ Erotic motivations can also be directed to other people of the
same sex or of the opposite sex.
▪ Homoerotic behaviors are sexual behaviors oriented to the same
sex.
▪ On the other hand, heteroerotic behaviors are used to refer to
sexual behaviors oriented to the other sex.
 Sexual Behaviors

▪ For reproductive purposes, copulation or the insertion of the

penis to the vagina is necessary.
▪ Humans can assume two positions in this process.
▪ More common is the ventral-ventral position (ventris: abdomen),
wherein the male and the female species are facing each other.
▪ Alternatively, a ventral-dorsal position (dorsum: back), may be
assumed wherein the abdomen of the male species is facing the
dorsum of the female species, such that insertion of the penis to
the vagina is from behind.
 Sexual Behaviors

▪ However, sexual behaviors do not only refer to copulation -- the

insertion of the penis to the vaginal orifice.
▪ They also include an array of non-copulatory sexual behaviors
such as hugging, kissing, caressing.
▪ There are also sexual behaviors that involve oral stimulation of the
genitals such as fellatio (oral stimulation of the penis)
or cunnilingus (oral stimulation of the vagina).
▪ Then, there are also sexual behaviors involving stimulation or
penetration of the anal orifice (anal sex).
 The following are the common sexual response
dysfunctions:
▪ Sexual desire disorder - when an individual has low
levels of desire or has an aversion to sexual activities;
▪ Sexual arousal disorder - when an individual has
problems in achieving necessary physiological state
Sexual response for copulation (e.g., erectile dysfunction in males);
Dysfunctions ▪ Orgasmic disorder - when an individual has problems
in achieving orgasm (e.g., premature ejaculation
among males; male and female orgasmic disorders);
and
▪ Sexual pain disorders - when there is an experience
of pain during the sexual response cycle (e.g., painful
erection or dyspareunia, and vaginal spasms or
vaginismus).
 ▪ The origins of sexual dysfunction disorders are varied.
▪ It can be organic (problem with the anatomy and
physiology of the reproductive organ).
Sexual response ▪ It can also be psychosomatic (a psychological
concern which manifests physically).
Dysfunctions
▪ Hence, there are also a gamut if interventions that are
either biomedical (.g., surgery, medication) or
psychosocial (e.g., psychotherapy, education, marital
or couple's counseling).
 ▪ While there are typical sexual behaviors among
humans, there are also those behaviors that are
relatively atypical.
▪ They are atypical due to any of the following reasons:
1. they are not prevalent,
Paraphilias 2. they are dangerous to self and to others,
3. they are bizarre and are not socially acceptable,
and
4. they are distressing either to the doer or to other
people involved in the act.
 ▪ Among these atypical sexual behavioral variations,
which is also considered by the APA as a disorder,
is paraphilia.
▪ Paraphilia is when an individual gets sexually aroused
by an object, a person, or a circumstance that are
Paraphilias unusual (e.g., pain-inflicting, humiliating, non-
consenting persons).
▪ A paraphilic disorder is when the urge or act lasts for
at least six months and is a manifestation of clinically
significant distress.
 Some of the common paraphilic disorders are as
follows:
▪ Exhibitionism - pleasure from exposing one's genitals
to nonconsenting people;
Paraphilias ▪ Fetishism - arousal from non-living objects (e.g.,
shoes, socks, body parts);
▪ Frotteurism - touching or rubbing one's body or
genitals to nonconsenting people;
▪ Pedophilia - arousal from children (prepubescent);
 ▪ Sexual masochism - arousal from actual suffering or
humiliation;
▪ Sexual sadism - arousal from inflicting pain to others;

Paraphilias ▪ Transvestic fetishism - (for heterosexual males only)

arousal from wearing clothing by the opposite sex
during sexual activities; and
▪ Voyeurism - observing other people engaged in
sexual activities.
Stereotype, Prejudices, and Discrimination
TOPIC 5
 There are 7.7 billion people across 195 countries and
every race has their own belief systems, religion,
culture, and tradition. Yet, each individual is a unique
mix of their own. That is why appreciating diversity is
very important to fully understand the human
Stereotypes, experience and for us to coexist peacefully.
Prejudices, and
Discrimination However, understanding diversity requires us to broaden
our appreciation of the many facets of the human race
and recognize that we have our own stereotypes,
prejudice, and discrimination, too.
 Stereotypes

▪ Stereotypes are an "over-generalized belief about a

particular group or class of people.
▪ It can be helpful in simplifying things, after all, there are
7.7 billion people in the planet.
▪ When we meet someone for the first time, we associate
with them certain characteristics and abilities that we
usually base on the group they belong to.
 Stereotypes

▪ While some stereotype convey positive examples (life a

student from Ivy League schools would be stereotypes
as very intelligent or matalino, or Filipinos being know for
our hospitality), most stereotypes, however, are drawn
from negative generalizations like equating our Muslim
countrymen as terrorists and viewing farmers and blue-
collar workers as lazy and less educated.
 Stereotypes

▪ It reflects our expectations and beliefs and is largely based

on the social circle we belong to as we try to conform or
agree to the standard way of thought.
▪ However, these stereotypes change through time
depending on social and political conditions.
 Stereotypes
▪ A stereotype can be categorized as "explicit", meaning the
person is aware that they have these thoughts towards a
group of people and they can say it out loud.
▪ It can also be "implicit" wherein a person does not know if
they have these stereotypes since it lies in their
subconscious.
▪ When the stereotype is explicit, a person can choose not
to turn their stereotypes into actions.
▪ While with an implicit stereotype, a person has no control
of awareness of it, and it may manifest into actions of
behavior.
 Prejudice

▪ Prejudice is an "unjustified or incorrect attitude (usually

negative) towards an individual based solely on the
individual's membership of a social group."
▪ Prejudice represents our emotional response upon learning of
a person's membership to a specific group (like age, skin
color, race, disability, generation, nationality, religion, sex,
sexual expression, gender expression, and so on).
 Prejudice

▪ This negative attitude (prejudice) can be dangerous since it

often leads to negative actions and behaviors.
▪ For example, a sexist person is someone who has negative
attitude towards the other sex and sees them as the lesser
sex.
▪ This negative attitude could manifest into action such as
bullying, discrimination, or violence.
 Discrimination

▪ Discrimination refers to actions or behaviors towards an

individual or a group of people. According to the United
Nations, "discriminatory behaviors take many forms, but
they all involve some form of exclusion or rejection".
▪ People who are discriminated on are treated worse that
the way people are usually treated just because they
belong to a certain group or they have certain
characteristics.
Examples:

▪ Genocide is the action of recognizing someone

as different so much that they are treated
inhumanly and degraded.
▪ Apartheid (means separateness) is a form racial
discrimination wherein one race is viewed as
less than the other, resulting in the separation of
black and whites and the mass murder of Jews
in concentration camps.
Examples:

▪ Gender discrimination is another common form

of discrimination. Statistically, women earn less
than men and are often relegated to be solely
responsible for child-rearing and house chores.
Men, on the other hand, are discriminated in
household responsibilities such that they are
perceived as less manly when they do their
share of house chores or when they become
stay at home husbands.
Examples:

• LGBT discrimination happens when LGBT people

are treated as lesser than straight people.
Discrimination happens early in their childhood
as they get bullied when they act differently or
dress differently than other kids. During
adolescence, they get judged, bullied, or
physically assaulted as they explore and express
their sexuality.
 Discrimination
▪ Restricting opportunities or privileges that may be
available to other groups is discrimination, like the right
to vote in national elections.
▪ In the Philippines, women only gained the right to vote in
1937 and before that, Filipino women had no legal rights
even to own properties.
▪ That form of institutional discrimination was based on
illogical or irrational judgment that women are weaker
than men.
 Freedom and Equality
▪ Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(UDHR) states that "all human beings are born free and
equal in dignity and rights."
▪ This declaration was drafted by member countries of the
United Nations, including the Philippines, in 1948.
▪ This monumental document outlines the fundamental
rights of every human being that should be protected by
everyone at all times.
 Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(UDHR) states that "all human beings are born free and
equal in dignity and rights."

This declaration was drafted by member countries of the

United Nations, including the Philippines, in 1948.
Freedom
and This monumental document outlines the fundamental
Equality rights of every human being that should be protected by
everyone at all times.

Its preamble recognizes that the "inherent dignity and of

the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the
human family is the foundation of freedom, justice, and
peace in the world."
 While discriminatory traditions, policies, ideas, practices,
and laws exist in many countries, many have shifted
towards making opportunities and privileges accessible to
everyone.
In many countries, people of the same sex can now get
married and create their own families while enjoying the
Freedom same rights as straight couples.

and In the Philippines, all establishments are now required by

Equality law to have an access ramp for people with disabilities.

Appreciating diversity of the human race is key to making

a safer and more inclusive environment for everyone,
regardless of race, sex, religion, sexuality, gender, or
creed.
LGBT Psychology
TOPIC 6
 LGBT Psychology
• Labels are so powerful it can be used to discriminate and
oppress people. Like how the German Nazi's used the
word 'Aryan race' to mean superior and 'Jews' and
'homosexual' to justify their mas murder of what they
called as 'inferior' race.
• However, labels can also empower people to claim their
space in our society, especially in the political sphere.
• Language can be used to avoid offense or disadvantage to
certain groups of people like using "persons with
disabilities' instead of disabled, 'African American' instead
of 'blacks', and 'LGBT' instead of 'homosexuals'.
 Views on LGBT in History

▪ Sexual and emotional attraction towards the same sex has

been recorded throughout history of mankind.
▪ In China 600 BCE, they used the terms pleasures of the
bitten peach and brokeback. In Japan, they
have shudo or nonshoku.
▪ Kathoey is used in Thailand to refer to lady boys.
▪ In the Philippines we have the babaylan and
the catalonan who were mostly women priests, but some
are males who lived their lives as women.
Views on LGBT in History

▪ Society's attitude towards homosexuality and other gender

variants change through history.
▪ In ancient Greek, all males are expected to take on a
younger male lover in a practice called pederasty.
▪ Some societies, like the indigenous Native Americans,
accepted and celebrated what they called two-
spirited person in a dance to the Berdache.
 Views on LGBT in History

▪ However, later cultures see it as a sin following the

Abrahamic Religion which branded it as sodomy, a crime
against nature.
▪ As these cultures colonized other countries, it enforced its
belief systems of viewing same sex attractions as a sin
through violence such as killing homosexuals through
burning, stoning, or being fed to the dogs.
Views on LGBT in History

▪ Homosexuality was classified as an illness in the 19th

century as a basis for them to legally persecute
homosexuals, imprison, and commit them to a mental
institution.
▪ An example of this percussion is that of Alan Turing, the
father of modern computing, who was prosecuted in 1952
for homosexual acts. He was sentenced with chemical
castration treatment, and he later died through cyanide
poisoning.
 As science advanced through years of extensive research,
the APA removed homosexuality as a psychiatric disorder
or a sickness in 1973.

This decision was after many years of struggle from the lay
and lesbian liberation movement.
Views on
LGBT in APA finally declared the being attracted to people of the
History same sex is a natural variation of the human experience,
and it does not make anyone any less of a healthy and
functioning human being.
Now that society is more accepting towards the LGBT,
new terms and labels have been used to cater to
everyone.
Understanding Transgenderism

▪ Society attaches a lot of meanings to our biological sex or

physical sex.
▪ Parents unknowingly set up a gender-based pattern of
raising their children upon knowing the biological sex of
their babies.
▪ Pink for girls and blue for boys is a reflection of our
heteronormative culture wherein we expect females to be
feminine and males to be masculine.
 Understanding Transgenderism

▪ This limited view on sexuality makes it harder for those

who do not fit in the box of masculinity and femininity, like
the lesbians, gays, and bisexuals.
▪ However, it makes it so much more difficult for the
transgender people, those who feel like they were born
into the wrong body or given the wrong biological sex.
 The APA defines transgender as "an umbrella term for
persons whose gender identity, gender expression, or
behavior does not conform to that typically associated
with the sex to which they were assigned at birth."
This means that a transgender person does not feel
comfortable in their biological sex like a person who is
born male but feels like a female, and a person who is
Who is a born female may feel like he is male.

Transgender? This feeling or gender identity is not something that

changes though time but is a feeling that they have since
childhood.

This creates a problem for a heteronormative society

wherein everyone is expected and forced to fit in the boxes
of male masculinity and female femininity.
 However, history tells us that in different cultures
across the world and in different times in our history,
there are people who lived their life expressing a
gender that is different from their biological sex.

This gender nonconformity or gender crossings were

Who is a celebrated by the Native Americans through
the berdache or the two-spirited people.
Transgender?
We also have our own babaylan or catalonan – pre-
colonial priests who are mostly females, but some
are males who lived their lives as female priests.
 Transsexuals
• The word transgender is also used as an umbrella term, this
means that there are many identities under this term.
• Transsexuals, for example, is often used in the medical field to
refer to people whose gender identity is different from their
biological sex, and they may want to change their body, so it
resembles how they feel about their gender identity.
• A biologically male person may feel like she is a woman since she
was just a child and in adulthood, she may choose to have
a "hormonal replacement therapy or sex reassignment surgery".
• Medical advancements have helped transgender people live a full
life; however, it can be a long, difficult, and expensive process.
 Transgender

• FTM - female to male; a person whose biological sex is

female and has transitioned to living his life as a male;
• MTF - male to female; a person whose biological sex is
male and has transitioned to living her life as female;
• Crossdressing - some people want to dress as the
opposite gender from time to time, however, unlike the
transsexual, they are comfortable identifying with their
biological sex;
 Transgender

• Drag kings and queens - these are people

who dress as the opposite gender for
entertainment which they do out of passion
or for work; and
• Gender queer - these are people who feel
like their gender does not fit the gender
binary view that is limited to the male or
female category because they feel that
these are too restrictive.