Topic 1 Sex Theory with overview into sex.pptx

Sex Theory

1. Topic 1 Sex Theory

2. Seidman, Ch 1- Sexology Sexology- the initial scientific study of the laws of sexuality Created during the late 19 th and early 20 th century, 19 th Century: Richard von Krafft-Ebing, Havelock Ellis 20 th Century: Alfred Kinsey, Masters and Johnson Key Ideas: Humans are born with a sexual nature and sexuality is part of the biological and genetic makeup of all people. –heavy focus on the physical. Sexuality is at the core of what it means to be human- as fundamental as food or sleep Sexuality is a driving, motivating force in human behavior The sexual instinct is by nature heterosexual. Natural attraction b/w men and women, focus is procreation, Kinsey found homosex was widespread, but still hetero is norm

3. Sexology and Politics Uses case study to develop scientific approach. Recorded desires, fantasies, and practices to define what is normal and abnormal. Politically, sexology was used to enhance tolerance for different forms of sexuality In reality, often used to support racial purity (eugenics) Then used to promote the institution of marriage. (sexual knowledge leads to a happier sex, married life) Have advocated for decriminalizing homosexuality because it is natural. ( Ulrichs : sexual inversion, Kinsey: documented widespread occurance )

4. Freud In many ways similar, but moved beyond sex as biology and procreation, and more toward focused on pleasure. We get pleasure from also kissing, touching, looking, and sometimes dominating or being dominated. Body has many erotic areas, and many ways of sexual satisfaction (foreplay) Sex also a major source of psychological and social conflict, and must be managed. Too much or too little leads to problems. Abnormality is defined as when pleasure is fixated on a specific act not a part of intercourse. Stage theory of sexual development Infants start out Polymorphous perverse- seek pleasure from body and world Oral pleasure- thumb sucking, anal phase- potty training, genital phase-beginning of adult sexuality, focused on pleasure from others. Oedipal/Electra complex- child identifies mom as object of sex desire, creates frustration, guilt and shame. To overcome this, girls must accept they lack a penis (penis envy). Boys feel pressure from father (castration anxiety ) and learn to identify with male.

5. Ch 2 Marxism Focuses on the role of economic forces in shaping society. Argues that sexuality has changed as we went from market-based to corporate capitalism. Market capitalism makes for repressed personality- to produce enough goods to meet needs of population. Requires disciplined, machine like labor. Unemotional. Business owners must hide anxiety over profit. Leads to valuing self-control over pleasure. Procreation is to create future workers. Corporate capitalism brought sex to the world of commercialism and consumption. Sex is pleasure, self-expression and used to increase profit. Domestic life is commercialized. Highly sexualized and impulsive. Does not lead to happiness but constant superficial search for pleasure.

6. Feminism Focuses on how people are defined by their gender status, regardless of economic position. We acquire a gender identity and a sexual identity through social processes. Some theories Chodorow - mothers are primary source of love. Girls stay attached to mom and learn to associate sex with communication, emotions, and intimacy. Boys break from mom at early age and become goal oriented and focused on pleasure and performance. Girls more likely to be bi or gay b/c attachment to dad may be weak. Rich- we are taught that to be a respectable person means being hetero. There are incentives to be hetero, punishments and violence for non-hetero. These things are hidden under a normalized gender binary. Being a lesbian means breaking both gender and sex norms and is a political act. MacKinnon- sex is the basis of male domination Rubin- we can not look at sex through the lens of gender alone. All societies create normal and abnormal sex.

7. Ch 3 Social Constructionism Around the 1970’s the focus became how does society construct our understanding of sexuality. Examine role of religion, gender, class, race, and social values in shaping patterns of premarital, marital, and extramarital sex. Ex. 1970s, more women in workforce, economic freedom lead to more open affection, and thus “good girls” and “bad girls” double standard not applied to men. Argued whether homo was always around or created recently. How we understand homo, and thus gay/lesbian is historical , not natural. Looks at how social policies lead to homo relationships in certain contexts.

8. Foucault We learn sexuality through the discourses (or contemporary accepted norms and ideas) we have about sex. We are not born sexual. One phase- Christian confession, sex is sinful, moral 2 nd phase – sexology, sex associated with body experiences, created sexuality. “Sexuality created sex” . This research was used to instill more discipline and control over bodies. Where as the state and family was the regulators of sex, now its medical, science, criminal justice, and mass media that regulate sex behavior. We now see sex as part of our identity, it is the truth of who we are. Supported gay rights, but gay rights means having to pick a defined sexual identity. True sexual freedom may be not having to label or identify sex.

9. Butler Gender Trouble – performative theory of gender identity We live in a system of compulsory heterosexuality that makes gender binary (male/female) and family seem normal. We learn gender-correct ways of acting to fit into this system. This is called “performing gender” or “doing gender”. Much of this is unconscious and is socially rewarded. Does not believe in a core gender identity. We are only modeling our thinking of what it means to be a man or woman. Notions of core gender identity only help perpetuate heterosexual dominance.

10. 7. Alfred Kinsey and The Kinsey Report Kinsey Report important for changing worldwide attitudes about sex. Within sexuality studies moved the field away from the medical model toward a wider variety of disciplines and approaches. Early sex research was mostly done by physicians, before that sex was a moral issue. Most of these researchers had sketchy methods, poor records, didn’t publish much, or were heavily influenced by the zeitgeist of the time rather any specialized knowledge. The Committee for Research in the Problems in Sex (CRPS), the Rockefeller-funded group paid for sex research Had much difficulty, they only wanted reputable (i.e. physicians) researchers, and people were too uncomfortable doing sex research outside of the lab. It was producing bad results.

11. Kinsey Ph.D. Biology from Harvard Expert on gall wasps Was working on many things as courses on Marriage and Family were emerging (before that it was mostly hygiene-type courses that focused on the dangers of STDs and masturbation)] He began to clash with other professors. He was also very open about asking his students personal sex questions (length of female student’s clitorises?!) Kinsey was sick of studying gall wasps. So he plunged into this research. The university president told him he could either teach but not ask personal questions, or just do research. Plus there was funding. A perfect opportunity. Focus had to be on improving marriages. Before he died there were 18000 interviews. No questionnaires.

12. What Kinsey Did Challenged most of the assumptions about sexuality activity in the US. Created a seven point bipolar scale, focused on what activity resulted in orgasm. 1=exclusively hetero orgasm, 7= exclusively homo orgasm. Revolutionary in that is equated homosexuality as normal as heterosexuality Was open minded. Felt that extramarital affairs didn’t always lead to divorce if there were not large emotions involved. Collected research on pedophiles (adult child sex). Reported that children exposes to intergenerational sex were not seriously harmed by it. Also challenged the notion of the asexuality of women. 40% had orgasm within first month of marriage, 67% by 6mos., 75% by first year 25% had orgasm by 15, 50% by 20, and 64% by marriage, brought female sexuality to light Ignored swinging, group sex, S/M, transvestism , voyeurism, and exhibitionism] Created one of first large sex libraries.

13. More stuff from Wikipedia Kinsey sexually experimented with his volunteers. He filmed sex acts with co workers. Collected info on pre-adolescent orgasms (5 months to 14years old). Came from adults childhood exp and (he said) 9 pedophiles. It was actually just one. He also overrepresented prisoners and prostitutes, classified some single people as married, included a disproportionate number of homosexual men. The data was later reinterpreted, excluding prisoners and too much homos, and the results were the same.

14. More Sexuality Theory ( reading 10) Contributions of Master’s and Johnston Observed volunteers engaging in masturbation and coitus in their labs while hooked up to monitors Demonstrated that clitoris is the seat of the orgasm in women, Showed that couples sexual problems not caused by neuroses or disorders, but by poor communication , marital conflict or lack of info. Structural-functionalism Systems theory, society organized into parts which each have a function and must work together for society to work. So, men are supposed to be breadwinners, women are housewives and mothers. Men are “naturally” aggressors, women are “naturally” submissive. Homos are dysfunctional.

15. Conflict theories (race, class, gender, Marx)/ Social Construction Conflict Theory Norms surrounding sexuality so narrowly defined that they oppress (often penalize) many people. Laws still existed at this time that make same sex, and interracial relationships illegal;. We have to examine how norms of the day benefit some and hurt others. Social Constructionism Symbolic Interactionism- construction of shared symbols to communicate. Focused on how individuals interact sexually. Explains why people interpret others as they do, why misunderstandings occur. Sexual scripting theory- based on acting, we have scripts that tell us who we are, who we are attracted to , how to behave sexually, and how to feel about our experiences.

16. More Feminist theory/ Postmodern Theory Many marginalized women ( women of color, poor women, non-Western women) feel ignored by white middle class feminist theory. Black feminist call themselves Womanist ,. They argue that white privilege allows white women sexually to be seen as pure and in need of protection, while black women are sexually seen as accessible and exploitable. Ones class, race, age, ability, sexual orientation, and nation ALL influence sexuality Postmodern Theory Question everything. Everything is contingent, constructed, and can be deconstructed Foucault- disagreed with Victorian Purity hypothesis. He argued that sexology led to sexual control.

17. Queer Theory Argues that our understanding of sex and gender is binary and limiting (male/female, str8/gay), making it easy to label one good and the other bad. We must deconstruct these beliefs and identities. Teaches us that identities are more fluid, less easy to define. And that definitions are often created by those in power. These categories above, for example, ignore transsexuals, intersexed, and drag queen/kings “Queering” something means to question the norms behind something.

18. Reading 31 – The pursuit of Sexual Pleasure Sex can be difficult to define. This article examines sexual pleasure or “sex for fun”. Examines Canadian students and uses US literature Solitary Sex Fantasy Safest form of sex. Difficult to research. Great majority engage in sexual fantasy. Those who fantasize more have fewer sexual problems, greater satisfaction. Most people fantasize while having sex, even more during masturbation Men have more explicitly sexual fantasies and put themselves in positions of dominance, the “doer”, and multiple partners. Women are more emotional and romantic and submissive. Gay/lesbian have same fantasies Masturbation Once seen as immoral, now is common and healthy. 2/3 of women, and all men report doing it once. Both report frequent masturbation in past 3 months, more sexual active=more masturbation Done to relieve tension and for pleasure

19. Partnered Sexual Activity