Sexuality through the Lifespan
| Risk assessment | ||
| Life style | ||
| Environmental | ||
| Developmental level | ||
| maturation | ||
| Cognition and Communication | ||
| Identity | ||
| Sexuality | ||
| Intimacy | ||
| Deep, pervasive aspect of total person | |
| Sum of feelings and behavior as male or female | |
| Attitudes necessary to maintain an intimate relationship with an other |
Factors influencing sexuality…
| Biology/genetics | ||
| Genotype and phenotype | ||
| Culture | ||
| Ethnicity | ||
| Spirituality/religion | ||
| Stereotypes | ||
| Fathers more than mothers | ||
| Freud | ||
| orality | ||
| Montague | ||
| Touch | ||
| Parental reinforcement | ||
| Trust | ||
| Body image | ||
| Self concept | ||
| Autonomy vs. shame and doubt | ||
| Primary identification | ||
| Traditionally imitation from observation of same sex parent | ||
| Exploration of body | ||
| Masturbation | ||
| ‘anality’ | ||
| Initiative vs. guilt | ||
| Conscience, superego | ||
| Self concept ~ emerging overt sexuality | ||
| Parental and peer (re)enforcements | ||
| Masturbatory substitutes | ||
| Rocking, riding | ||
| Sexuality ‘sublimated’ into industry | ||
| Doesn’t mean ‘asexual’ | ||
| Cognition | ||
| Social interaction skills | ||
| More self concept and body image | ||
| Inter-relationship depends on environment | ||
| Chum-ship | ||
| Some mid- and late schoolagers are sexually active | ||
| Development of secondary sexual maturation occurring earlier in US | ||
Answering questions about sex…
| Open acceptance | ||
| Answer what is asked | ||
| Know the facts! | ||
| Be honest | ||
| Don’t skip information because initial response is ‘Oh, I know that…’ | ||
| Also, don’t include too much information in one sitting | ||
| Establishing sexual identity or self concept | ||
| Involves understanding roles, values, duties and responsibilities as well as physical responses | ||
| Sexual orientation is a continuum | ||
| A personal evaluation of one’s sexual feelings and actions | ||
| Accommodating adult erotic feelings | ||
| Experimental sexual behaviors | ||
| Dealing with behavior choices | ||
| Physical sexual response cycles in men and women only understood since the 1970’s | |||
| Masters and Johnson | |||
| excitement, plateau, orgasm, resolution | |||
| Most people closely tie physiology with emotions | |||
| Sex for sex’s sake vs. sex for love’s sake | |||
| Sex for procreation vs. recreation | |||
| Abstinence is not a dirty word | |||
| Developmental level and chronology often not synchronous | |
| Making love and having sex aren’t the same | |
| There aren’t any ‘abnormals’ in sexual relationships if the behavior is acceptable to both parties | |
| Overtly or covertly, everybody cares about and is interested in sex, whether or not they act on it |
| Developmental stages of partners impacts quality of relationship | ||
| Stresses of everyday life can negatively impact sexual expression | ||
| ‘Being all things to all people’ | ||
| What to do with the kids… | ||
| Fatigue and poor communication greatest impediments to positive sexual behavior | ||
| Creativity and time management | ||
| Loss of partner from divorce or death | ||
| Age should not be a barrier to sexual expression | ||
| Social circumstances might be – but can be changed | ||
| Attitudes and expectations may be problematic | ||
| Those who are aging | ||
| Relatives and friends | ||
| Appropriate for health care professional to ask about sexual activity | ||
| Are you currently sexually active with a partner? | ||
| Is the experience satisfactory? | ||
| Are there any specific questions with which I can help? | ||
| Boundaries important | ||
| Personal proclivities vs. professional persona | ||