Chapter 12: Life-Span Sexual Development

1. Chapter 12: Life-Span Sexual Development For use with Human Sexuality Today (4th Ed.) Bruce King Slides prepared by: Traci Craig

2. Chapter Overview • Infancy • Early Childhood • School-age years • Puberty • Adolescence • Emerging Adulthood • Young Adulthood • Middle Age • Elderly Years

3. Infancy (Ages 0-1) • Male fetuses can have erections • Baby girls can have vaginal lubrication within 24 hours of birth • Bonding: hold and cuddle infants • Infants show reflexive arousal when nursing • Random behavior may lead to discovery of pleasurable sensation, which is then repeated.

4. Early Childhood (Ages 2-6) • Egocentric children explore primarily their own bodies prior to age 2 • After age 2, interest in the genitals is common. • Undressing and sexual exploration games from 3-5. (viewing and touching genitals) • Usually games with same-sex children • More aggressive sexual behavior may indicate abuse.

5. Early Childhood • Curiositywatch others bathe, urinate • Parental response is important—overreacting may cause future negative feelings about their bodies. • Focus on private vs. public behavior • Parent reactions are often reflections of how the parents feel about their own sexuality.

6. School-age Years (Ages 7-11) • Demanding privacy in the bathroom • Modesty and inhibition about exposing their bodies • Sexual play does continue, just more hidden from parents • Girls more likely than boys to receive negative reactions about sexual exploration.

7. Puberty (Ages 7-15) • Show sexual attraction and capable of reproduction • Two part process • Adrenal glands mature—increase in androgens • Maturing gonads—ovaries and testes mature • Secondary sex characteristics

8. Puberty: Girls • Growth spurt—girls taller than boys • Breast developmentnot hidden • Increase in fatty deposits in the hips and buttocks • Pubic hair appear and a couple years later axillary hair • Body odor and acne accompany increase in male hormones.

9. Puberty: Girls • Vagina and uterus enlarge • Menarche—between 12 & 13 (this age is dropping) • “becoming a woman” vs. “curse” will influence self-esteem • No prior informationvery frightening • Topic of crude jokes and many negative messages.

10. Puberty: Boys • About 2 years behind girls. • Testes, scrotum, penis, prostate, and seminal vesicles grow • Capable of ejaculation about a year after growth began • Nocturnal emissionboys usually not given much information, not under voluntary control

11. Puberty: Boys • Gynecomastia: temporarily enlarged breasts—goes away by mid-teens • Pubic hair grows and two years later, facial and underarm hair • Amount of body hair is hereditary • Acne and body odor • Deepening voice—voice box grows

12. Precocious and Delayed Puberty • Usually puberty starts at 11 or 12 • Before age 9 precocious puberty • Environmental estrogens may cause early appearance of secondary sex characteristics • Delayed puberty is often treated with hormones.

13. Sexual Behavior • Sexual attraction usually around age 10 • Both boys and girls have enaged in masturbation to orgasm usually prior to 12 • Age 13sexual exploration games • Spin the bottle • Post office

14. Adolescence (Ages 13-17) • Self-identity • Body image and physical characteristics • Maturbation • Frequency: males 1.8 times per week; females .5 times per week (at age 15) • Outlet for sexual tension, sexual experimentation, sexual self-confidence, and control of sexual impulses • Important for girls  more fulfilling adult experiences.

15. Adolescence • Masturbation: powerful predictor of adult sexuality • Petting: erotic stimulation without intercourse (below the waist)—80% of teens • Half of high school students are virgins, but a 1/3 of them have engaged in genital stimulation with a partner.

16. Adolescence • Sexual Intercourse: 58% of people believe premarital sex is wrong • What is sex? Anal? Oral? • Teen pregnancy and birth rates declined in the 1990s • Different reasons for having sex • Girls: love and commitment make sex ok • Boys: never miss an opportunity

17. Adolescence • First intercourse: • 25% of girls say they did not want to have sex. • 33% of girls report physical pain/ 28% no pain • Positive experiences: history of sex play, positive attitudes about sex play, and safe environment with a caring partner • Negative experience: gave in to partner, no planning, and little experience with sex play.

18. Adolescence • Peer pressure: half of boys are motivated by curiosity to have sex • Desire for acceptance and to boost self-esteem might be one reason teens have sex. • Teens overestimate the number of teens having sex • Adolescent males see sex as competitive: an arena where one can ‘achieve and score’

19. Adolescence • Teen girls may mistake sexual intimacy for emotional intimacy • Double standardsnegative experiences for teen girls • New peer pressure to abstain may be cause for the reduction in number of teens having sex.

20. Emerging Adulthood(Ages 18-25) • Age of marriage has increased to 25 for women and 27 for men. • Longer period of single adulthood • Ambiguous about self identifying as adults • Dating, relationships, and love take on new importance • Common in more advanced cultures.

21. Emerging Adulthood • 80% of men and women in this age of had premarital sex • 20% of unmarried women have had 4 or more partners in the past 4 years. • Sexual experimentation • 86% of women and 71% of men said it was difficult to have sex without emotional involvement.

22. Emerging Adulthood • Serial monogamy—a series of relationships in which sex is reserved for just one other person • Less influence of peer pressure and more understanding of personal sexual motivation • Sexual self-schemas • Erotophilia/Erotophobia

23. Young Adulthood (Ages 26-39) • Long-lasting monogamy • Sex with only one partner in the last year • Marriage: Sexual frequency in the first year15 times per month • Married women more likely to experience orgasm • Frequency drops with other time demands, parenthood, novelty wears off.

24. Young Adulthood • Marriage: variety of sexual techniques • People with partners more likely to masturbate than people without partners. • Cohabitation: 700% increase in cohabiting since 1970 • Living together as a test or trial before marriage • 54% of marriages begin as cohabitation

25. Young Adulthood • Commitment levels vary for cohabitation • Easier to walk away from the relationship (than in marriage) • ½ of these arrangements end within years. • Higher divorce rate for cohabitorsreduce expectations about marriage, greater tolerance of divorce

26. Young Adulthood • Extramarital sex (in monogamous marriage) • 37% of men and 20% of women have had a sexual affair • Same rate for married as for cohabiting couples • 90% believe extramarital sex is wrong. • The majority of men over 45 think it is ok • Men more concerned about sexual fidelity, women more concerned about emotional fidelity

27. Young Adulthood • Open marriage: partners agree sex with others is ok. • 15% of couples may have some sort of ‘understanding’ • Divorce rate is similar to sexually monogamous couples. • Sexual jealousy is usually not the reason for break up of the relationship.

28. Young Adulthood • Swinging—extramarital relations as a couple • Ads, magazines, clubs, private parties—usually male homosexuality is not part of the arrangement • Swingers seem to be demographically similar to non-swingers • Short-lived experience—feelings of jealousy, sexual inadequacy or rejection.

29. Middleage (Ages 40-59) • Sex for procreationpast reproductive age so thought to be asexual • Difficulty accepting the idea of parents or grandparents being sexually active. • Current attitudes about sex predict future attitudes about sex. • 5-6 times per month

30. Middleage • Modern Maturity—over half of 45-54 year olds have sex at least once a week • Sex is more important to 30-50 year olds than to 20 year olds. • Emotional intimacy is related to relationship quality • Sexual equilibrium in the couple

31. Middleage • Losing a mate: No clear expectations about dating for divorced or widowed adults • 75% of only one or no partners a year after a divorce • Men have more opportunities, (singles: F:M, 2:1) • Age differences more accepted for men than women.

32. Middleage • Menstrual irregularity in women after age 35. • Menopause—cessation of menstruation • late 40s early 50s • Hot flashes, flushing, sweating, nausea, feelings of suffocation • Vagina walls are thinner and less elastic, decreased lubrication

33. Middleage • Menopause treated with Hormone Replacement Therapy • Helps with physical symptoms • Prevents osteoporosis, colon cancer, aging skin • Increase risk of breast and endometrial cancer • Quality of life is reported as better • Natural herbal supplements

34. Middleage: Female Sexuality • Few show a decline in interest, some even increase • Sexual activity when younger predicts sexual activity when older • Regular sexual activity decreases vaginal atrophy. • Masturbation rates do not change • Empty nest syndrome may cause depression and cause a drop in sexual interest

35. Middleage: Male Sexuality • No sudden change in hormones: gradual decline • Decreased sensitivity of the penis, longer to become erect and less firm erection, shrinkage of testicles, less forceful ejaculation, and a longer refractory period. • Sperm production declines after 40. • No change in masturbation rates.

36. Elderly (Age 60+) • Society regards them as asexual • People who have partners: • At 60, 70% have sex regularly, 50% at least once a week. • At 70, 33% at least once a week • At 80, 25% at least once a month • Decline with age, but still some activity.

37. Elderly • Sexual activity often limited by living arrangements and availability of partners. • Women report partners are more romantic • Partner gap: women outlive men, women have fewer partner choices • 43-47% of the elderly report a medical problem that prevents sex.

38. Elderly • Opportunities for privacy may decline with age—nursing homes, dependent living. • Sexual expression is more than intercourse. • The largest barrier for sexual expression in this age group may be the stereotypes about elderly sexuality.