UNIT III: PSYCHOSOCIAL PERSPECTIVE IN GENDER AND SEXUALITY

LESSON 8: GENDER AND SEXUALITY AS A PSYCHOSOCIAL ISSUE

Lesson Objectives:
1. Define the term "psychosocial"
2. Discuss the psychosocial definitions of gender & sexuality
3. Reflect upon one's responsibility in ensuring psychological wellness in the aspect of
gender & development

Definition of Terms:
• Psychosocial: a term pertaining to psychological and social factors and the
interaction of these factors.
• Psychosocial Issues: needs and concerns relating to one or all of the
psychosocial dimensions.
• Reproductive Role: the social script ascribed to individuals performing to
their role in child-bearing or child-rearing and related tasks such as
maintaining the household.
• Productive Role: the social script ascribed to individuals pertaining to their
role in economic production and related tasks such as engaging in public
affairs and living in the world of work.

INTRODUCTION:
In the previous sessions, we discussed the biological dimensions of sexuality. We learned
that the human person has biological mechanisms for sexual growth and reproduction, and that
depending on sex, these mechanisms differ.
Also, it was emphasized that these reproductive mechanisms are interpreted by societies,
thereby, creating differentiated social standards for behavior and expectations. For instance, since
the human female is capable of bearing a child, the society interprets this capacity as associated to
womanhood, and thus, sets the fulfillment of the reproductive role as an expectation among
women. conceiving children. On the other hand, the human male has a relatively larger muscular-
skeletal frame, the society expects the human male to perform productive role.
However, much of the capabilities, except those involved in reproduction, can actually be
performed by either sex. The limits are only set by social expectations. This shows that gender and
sexuality also have a psychological and social aspects. This perspective of exploring and
understanding human sexuality in the lens of psychological social process is referred to as
psychosocial perspective.
WHAT DOES PSYCHOSOCIAL MEAN?
This term is comprised by the following aspects:
1. Psychological: Anything associated with mental process and behaviors.
• Psychology: Field of science which concerns itself with how people think and feel and how
thoughts and feelings interact and lead to behavior.
• Three Primary Psychological Domains
o Affect (affective domain): emotions and feelings
o Behavior (behavioral domain): people’s actions-both observable (overt) or not
readily observable (covert).
o Cognition (cognitive domain): people’s thought processes such as memory,
perception, and information processing.
2. Social: Associated with human relationships, connections, and interactions.
• Sociology: 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.

Awareness: Conscious understanding of something.

• As individuals, we are in a constant process towards self-awareness.
o In the context of gender and sexuality, we ask: What am I physiologically? Am I
happy with what I am? How do I feel about my sexuality?
o
• We are also in a constant process towards other-awareness, that is understanding others
o What is the other’s motivations, preferences, and aspirations? Where am I
positioned in his/her life? How different and or similar am I and other?
Intimacy and Relationship

• Human Relationship: A bond formed between two/more people, manifested through

communications and interactions.
• In the form of family, friendships, romantic relationship, or others.
• Intimacy: Process of knowing others and allowing others to know us.
• Socialization: Process by which we learn cultural norms and traditions.
• Meaning-making: As rational beings, we are capable of making sense of our experiences
vis-à-vis the influences of our environments and integrate these interpretations into our
own choices.
WELL-BEING AS A PSYCHOSOCIAL GOAL
• Well-being: a state of satisfaction, meaning, and purpose.
• Two Sides of Well-Being
o Objective Well-Being: Observed, outward and can be evaluated through the
presence/absence of particular elements in our environment. In the aspects of
gender and sexuality here are some questions to ask:
▪ Does the physical environment allow expression of diversity? Does the
physical infrastructure mitigate any possibility of abuse and violence
related to gender?
o Subjective Well-Being: Personal experience of satisfaction, meaning and
purpose.
▪ Sometimes, even when the environment fully provides our needs, we
remain unsatisfied, thus we have a low subjective well-being. But there
are also moments where the environment has shortcomings, but we are
at peace and satisfied within.
▪ Is your purpose as a person clear to you yet 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 look into when
trying to understand the psychosocial condition of a person:
• Physical-physical, biological health
• Emotional- positive feelings; mood stability
• Mental- clarity of mind; healthy thoughts
• Material- available and adequate financial and other resources
• Social- healthy and positive interaction and relationship with others
SUMMARY
The psychosocial dimension is an important aspect of our gender and sexuality. Aside from
upholding human dignity and human rights, one of the ultimate goals of our discussions in gender
and sexuality is to ensure well-being among people of different genders. . Understanding our
psychosocial needs and concerns and the various elements of psychosocial conditions of humans
is necessary.
 UNIT III: PSYCHOSOCIAL PERSPECTIVE IN GENDER AND SEXUALITY
LESSON 10: SEX AND THE SENSES

Lesson Objectives:
1. Discuss the human senses in the context of sexual response; and
2. Show appreciation of how the sensorium contributes to our experience of human
sexuality.

Definition of Terms:
• Sensorium- the totality of our senses and perception; a conglomerate of the
individual sense organs.
• Olfaction- sense of smell
• Tactile- something associated with touch
• Pheromone- a substance believed to be emitted by organisms and which is
thought to be influencing social behaviors.
• Major Histocompatibility Complex- a set of protein molecules associated
with the immune system.

INTRODUCTION
When we were children, we were taught that there are five bodily organs which
corresponds to our primary senses. Our eyes enable our sense of sight (visual), so that we are able
to see visual stimuli (color, size, shape) in the environment. Our nose enables us to smell
(olfaction), so that we are able to experience scent. Our ears allow us the sense of hearing
(audition), so that we are able to experience sounds of varying tones, pitches, and volume. Our
tongue is covered with taste buds that allow us the sense of taste (gustation), so that we are able
to experience the taste of our food and other objects that we put in our mouth. We have the 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. These five senses make up our sensorium- the totality of our
sensory experiences and perception.
HUMAN AFFECT AND THE SENSES
Interestingly, while human beings are known to be rational, it is hypothesized that our
affect (emotions and feelings) actually play a major role in our behavior.
• Affective Primary Hypothesis: Emotions take precedence primarily because these are
processed and modulated by the limbic system- emotional part of our brain.
• Three Primary Emotional Responses
o Fight response: We face adverse/dangerous situations.
o Flight response: We move away from the adverse/dangerous stimuli.
 o Freeze response: You are startled and are unable to make a choice, thus are unable
to move.
• In all the three basic emotional response, there is a requirement:
o Able to make sense of our environment
o Organize the stimuli we receive
o Interpret these stimuli

SENSES AND SEXUALITY

Visual Experience

In the context of human sexuality, some studies have explored gender differences in visual
stimuli and sexual arousal.
The study of Rupp & Wallen (2007) found that men respond more to sexual stimuli and
tend to be influenced by the sex of the actor in a sexual scenario. When confronted by an intimate
interaction, men would tend to be rather influenced by visual cues, e.g., how the other person looks
physically or what the person is wearing. On the other hand, women were found to be more
influenced by the context. When confronted by an intimate interaction, women tend to be rather
influenced by the nature of the relationship they have with another person, e.g., is the other person
someone they know and can trust.
Olfactory Experience
Olfaction in non-human animals, which are believed to be microsmatic organism or
organisms having a greater sense of smell. Humans and apes are generally believed to be
microsmatic (lower levels of olfaction) compared to their non-ape counterparts. Although we
humans have limited olfaction, sense of smell may play an important part in our sexual response.
A study by Muscarella, Arantes, and Konscol (2011) explored the preferred scent among
heterosexuals and homosexual males and females. The study found that heterosexual females tend
to like wearing floral-sweet but want musky-spicy scent to be worn by their partners. Heterosexual
males and homosexual females preferred wearing musky-spicy scent and liked their partners to
wear floral-sweet scent. While homosexual males wanted musky-spicy for themselves and their
partner.
Scientists have tried to explain how human olfaction influence sexuality. They identified
three possibilities:
• Signature Odor: the unique way that each individual smells.
o Associated with the Major Histocompatibility Complex (set of proteins signaling
our immune system the presence of foreign substances).
• Pheromones: substances putatively excreted by our glands which signals mood and affects
social behaviors.
 One of the famous studies about MHCs is the “sweaty t-shirt experiment” (Wedekind and
Furi 1997). It was discovered that individuals tend to be attracted to other people with a different
set of MHC genes.
In the 1970s, the McClintock Effect 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.
What do scientists think human pheromones do?
• Act as attractants (of the opposite sex), repellants (of the same sex), stabilizer of
mother-infant bond, and modulators of menstrual cycle.
Some human

• Some chemicals though to be hormones are:

• Androstadienone (AND)- a testosterone like substance found in male sweat, saliva, and
urine
• Estratetraenol (EST)- an estrogen like found in female urine
• I-pyrroline- a substance found in human sweat, public sweat, and smegma
Tactile Experiences
Touch is an element of intimacy and holds meaning. As a sensation, touch has the following
elements:
• Tactile: Is it rough? Is it smooth?
• Thermal: Is it warm or cold?
• Vibrational: Is the pressure of touch strong or weak?

Different parts of the body have different threshold of tactile experience.

• Primary Erogenous Zones: mouth, anus, genitals, and nipples. These areas are very
sensitive to touch.
• Secondary Erogenous Zones: back, cheek, neck, and buttocks. These areas are also
sensitive, but only supportive of the primary zones in eliciting response.
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 behavior and maternal bonding. It is observed
to be produced in vast amounts during nipple stimulation, such as for instance when a mother
breastfeeds her newborn.
Auditory Experience
Sexual activities are also a verbal communication process. Sounds give additional context
to sexual situations. In sexual interactions, couples may give verbal erotic encourage-words that
trigger sexual response or verbal expression of affection- word that manifests feelings (I love you;
I miss you). Based on a survey of popular music, love and sex are among the common themes of
songs nowadays.
SUMMARY
The senses are the windows of our consciousness. We are aware, we learn, and we
experience because we can receive information from the environment through our sense’s organs.
The brain is a powerful organ that consolidates and processes these stimuli into meaningful
units and wholes.
 UNIT III: PSYCHOSOCIAL PERSPECTIVE IN GENDER AND SEXUALITY
LESSON 11: SEXUAL BEHAVIORS

Lesson Objectives:
1. Discuss the variety of sexual behaviors in humans;
2. Tackle atypical sexual variations; and
3. Show appreciation of the diversity of human sexual expression.

Definition of Terms:
• Sexual Behavior- an action with sexual intention and context.
• Erotic- related to sexual stimulation; has something to do with the
erogenous zones
• Sexual Response Cycle- sequence of events from arousal to orgasm to
resolution of sexual tension.
• Sexual Dysfunction- a concern or problem in any of these phases of the
sexual response cycle.
• Copulatory Behavior- related to the insertion of the penis to the vagina.
• Paraphilia- arousal from non-living objects or nonconsenting persons.

INTRODUCTION
In the previous discussions, you have learned that psychology has three primary
components: Affect (emotions & feelings), cognition (thought process) and behavior (actions).
Hence, when used as a framework in understanding human sexuality, it is only appropriate to
explore the diversity of behaviors related to our understanding of human sexuality.
What is behavior? In simple terms, it refers to actions. These are things that we do, both
overt (observable) and covert (not readily observable by the naked eye). On a daily basis, we act
because of motivation- something that drives us to do something.
Unlike feelings and thoughts, behavior is readily measurable. You can look at its
frequency-how many times an action is done in a span of time. You can also check on duration-
how long does an action take place. A behavior has an intensity- the magnitude by which it is
done. Then there is diversity- what are the varieties of similar behavior done in various context
or what are the different behaviors we are capable of depending on our physical characteristics.
SEXUAL BEHAVIORS
These are actions that humans interpret as an expression of their sexual motivation or
intention. 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 because they involve any of the primary or secondary
erogenous zones. Sexual behaviors can be typed according to the aim of the behavior:

• Auto-erotic: self-directed
• Homoerotic: same sex
• Heteroerotic: other sex

For reproductive purposes, copulation or the insertion of the penis to the vagina is necessary.
Humans can assume two positions in this process.
• Ventral-ventral position: male and female species are facing each other. (Most common)
• Ventral-dorsal position: abdomen of the male species is facing the dorsum of the female
species.
However, sexual behaviors do not only refer to copulation. They also include an array of non-
copulary sexual behaviors such as hugging, kissing, and caressing. There are also sexual
behaviors that involve oral stimulation of genitals such as fellatio (oral stimulation of the penis)
or cunnilingus (oral stimulation of the vagina). Then, there are also sexual behaviors involving
the stimulation or penetration of the ana orifice (anal sex)
SEXUAL RESPONSE CYCLE
For heterosexual couples, the purpose of sexual acts is for reproduction.
Master and Johnson’s Model: Master and Johnson (1966, 1970) proposed that the following are
the four phases in the cycle:
1. Excitement: The first phase in the cycle. For the human male, the goal of this phase is the
erection or tumescence (elongation and stiffening of the penis) so that it can be efficiently
entered into the vagina. At this phase, the testes and the scrotum start to elevate and some
parts of the skin (e.g., the breast and chest) reddens- a phenomenon known as sex flush.
For the human female, the goal of this phase is lubrication (wetness of the vaginal orifice
to facilitate insertion of the penis). There is swelling of the glans clitoris and the labia
minora, and there are sex flushes in breasts and chest. In both males and females, heart rate
increases during this phase.

2. Plateau: This phase is characterized by a sustained peak in stimulation of the organs. In

the human male, the corona and glans penis become enlarged and reddish. Internally, the
Cowper’s glands release a lubricating fluid and the testes and scrotum are totally elevated.
In the human female, the outer vagina swells while the inner vagina expands and becomes
elongated creating the orgasmic platform (tenting).
 3. Orgasm: This is the climax of this cycle. It is a stage of release wherein the human male
achieves ejaculation and the human female is ready to receive the sperm for possible
fertilization. In the human male, ejaculation is made possible by the contraction of the vas
deferens, seminal vesicles, and urethra, followed by the contraction of the rectal sphincter.
In the human female, the vagina, uterus, and anal sphincter also contract.

4. Resolution: The male penis returns to its normal unerected phase, wherein the testes and
scrotum descend. In the human female, the outer and inner reproductive organs also relax.

Kaplan’s Model: Helen Kaplan sees the sexual response cycle as having relatively independent
stages. The three phases of this model include:
• Desire: This is the psychological component of the sexual response. It involves
sexual thoughts and feelings, which are necessary for a satisfying sexual
experience. But desire does not necessarily translate to action.
• Arousal: The phase that coincides where the excitement and Plateau phase take
place. It is the physiological component of the sexual response; wherein bodily
changes occur as an outcome of sexual stimulation. It may not necessarily translate
into orgasm.
• Orgasm: This is generally similar with the Master’s and Johnson’s model, except
that this phase also includes the Resolution Phase. This is the completion of the
sexual response.
SEXUAL RESPONSE DYSFUNCTIONS
There are people who encounter difficulties or problems in some of the sexual phases. These
include the following:
• Sexual Desire Disorder: An individual has low levels of desire or has an aversion to
sexual activities.
• Sexual Arousal Disorder: An individual has problems in achieving necessary
physiological state of copulation (e.g. erectile dysfunction in males).
• Orgasmic Disorder: An individual has problems in achieving orgasm (e.g., premature
ejaculation among males; male and female orgasmic disorders).
• Sexual Pain Disorders: An experience of pain during the sexual response cycle (painful
erection or dyspareunia, and vaginal spasms or vaginismus).
The causes of these disorders are varied. It can be organic (problem with anatomy and
physiology of the reproductive organ). It can also be psychosomatic (a psychological concern
which manifests itself physically). Hence, possible interventions could either be biomedical (e.g.,
surgery, medication) or psychosocial (e.g., psychotherapy, education, marital or couple’s
counselling).
PARAPHILIAS
There are sexual behaviors that are relatively atypical due to the following reasons:
• They are not prevalent
• They are dangerous to self and others
• They are bizarre and are not socially acceptable
• They are distressing either to the doer or to other people involved in the act.
Among these atypical sexual behaviors is paraphilia.
• Paraphilia: An individual gets sexually aroused by an object, person, or a circumstance
that are unusual (e.g., pain-inflicting, humiliating, non-consenting persons).
• Paraphilic Disorder: When the urge 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 non-consenting people;
• Fetishism: arousal from non-living objects (e.g., socks, shoes, body parts);
• Frotteurism: touching or rubbing one’s body or genitals to non-consenting people;
• Pedophilia: arousal from children (prepubescent);
• Sexual Masochism: arousal from actual suffering or humiliation;
• Sexual Sadism: arousal from actually inflicting pain to others;
• Transvestic Fetishism: (for heterosexual males only): arousal from wearing clothing by
the opposite sex during sexual activities;
• Voyeurism: observing other people engaged in sexual activities.
For a paraphilia to be considered as a disorder, diagnosis has to be made. Only trained
psychologists or medical doctors can make such diagnosis after conducting lengthy and
comprehensive assessments.
SUMMARY
The behavioral aspect of human sexuality provides a holistic perspective as to how
physiological and psychological elements coalesce towards action. In certain cases, behaviors
often serve as an indicator whether an organism is functional or not. By knowing what behavior is
normal and acceptable, and what behavior is the exact opposite, we are able to make intelligent
judgements on issues concerning human sexuality.