Part II Culture and Ecological Considerations The Essentialist Tradition and the

1. The Psychology of SexPart IIPsych 405Dr. D. WardellDepartment of PsychologyUniversity of Alberta

4. “If sex is such a naturalphenomenon, how comethere are so manybooks on how to do it?” - Bette Midler

5. What is sex?The biological definition: the transfer of DNAThe psychological definitions: erotic meanings and the intentions of actionsSome research results and when does it matter?

6. Part II Culture and Ecological Considerations The Essentialist Tradition and the Social Constructionist View: X X Inventing Sexuality Discovering Sexuality

7. Reasons for sex:

8. The Social Dimension of Sex • Culture scores • Nature claims its due • Examples of the tension between nature and culture: • “Cultural programming builds on natural inclinations” • Sexual morality • Absolute/Universal rules • Relativistic/Context-dependent rules • Examples: church and state

9. The Social Dimension of Sex • Mate shortage • The Theory about Sex Ratios • The practice in human cultures • Examples: the dowry and the “bride-price” • Results: • “Too many women” • “Too many men” • Choosing a child’s sex

10. The Social Dimension of Sex • Sexual Orientation • Nature, e.g. “The gay gene” • Nurture, e.g. “The domineering mother” • Combining both, e.g. “Exotic becomes erotic” • Adoption:Why? • Natural selection • Sexual selection • And beyond (“paternal uncertainty” reconsidered) Daryl Bem

11. The Cultural History of Sex A. Before the Neolithic Revolution Sex life in the Pleistocene Epoch (The Paleolithic Period) Otzi

12. “If human prehistory were a film, it would be X-rated.” - Timothy Taylor

13. B. Afterwards:Sex life in the last 10,000 years • Recent/Holocene Epoch: • “The Mesolithic Period” (Middle Stone Age) • “The Neolithic Period” (Late Stone Age) • “Bronze Age, Iron Age, etc.” • The invention of farming... • and the emergence of the patriarchy Results: 1. Men and their “manhood” 2. Men vs. women (and “amazons”) 3. Women and “the oldest profession”

14. Cross-Cultural Comparisons“Rain-forest people” “Desert-people”

15. Cross-Cultural Comparisons“Rain-forest people” “Desert-people”

17. The Importance of Cultural Diversity Robert Sapolsky Wade Davis The nature of “sexual revolutions” (e.g. the 1960’s) “The sexual revolution was about free sex. Sexual evolution is about better sex” – Paula Kamen, Her Way

18. Cross Cultural Comparisons • The essentialist (“Absolutist”) model... • The social constructionist (“Relativist”) model... • Cross cultural similarities and differences • The example of romance: • Romance is a universal • Attitudes to it differ • Attitudes are changing • “Collectivist” and “Individualist” cultures

19. Gender Differences: • “The female sex drive is more socially flexible and responsive.” • Roy Baumeister, • Psychological Bulletin 2000 • Do people change over time? • Do social and cultural factors make a difference? • Are attitudes consistent with behaviors? • Is there a sex difference in basic arousal patterns Any exceptions? Why?

20. The Cultural Biologyof Sex and Love Sexual desire: simple lusting “I want sex.” Sexual attraction: romantic liking “I want you.” Sexual attachment: sexual loving “I want us.”

21. The Cultural Biology of Sex and Love A. The Chemistry of Lust ▪ Sexual steroids and desire ▪ Testosterone in men and women e.g. “The lighthouse effect” ▪ Variations in men context-specificity hypersexuality and asexuality effects of age ▪ Women and testosterone

22. The Cultural Biology of Sex and Love • The Chemistry of Romance • ▪ Monoamines and attraction • ▪ Dopamine and serotonin • e.g. “The craving brain” • ▪ Variations in both sexes: • - time-limited effects • - limerence and lust • ▪ PEA and prolactin “Romantic love is nature’s antidote for the one-night stand.” - Helen Fisher

23. The Cultural Biology of Sex and Love • The Chemistry of Love • ▪Peptides and attachment ▪ Oxytocin and vasopressin: • e.g monogamies Red fox

24. Prairie Vole Meadow Vole

25. The Cultural Biology of Sex and Love The Chemistry of Love: Oxytocin in men and women Vasopressin in men and women Meadow Vole Prairie Vole

26. Summary: LUST ROMANCE LOVE e.g. defining “sexual orientation”

27. LUST “The pleasure is momentary, the position ridiculous, and the expense damnable.” - Earl of Chesterfield

28. ROMANCE “Love is the gross exaggeration of the difference between one person and everybody else.” - George Bernard Shaw

29. LOVE • “When two people are under the influence • of the most violent, the most insane, the most • delusive, and most transient of passions, they • are required to swear that they will remain in that • excited, abnormal, and exhausting condition • continuously until death do them part.” • George Bernard Shaw,

30. Sexual Attraction and Arousal External factors: 1. Facial features e.g. facial symmetry “Beauty is not entirely in the eye of the beholder” – Simon LeVay Left: Symmetrical face using the left half of the original face. Middle: Original face. Right: Symmetrical face using the right half of the original face.

31. 2. Bodily featurese.g. body WHR

32. 3. Olfactory Cuese.g. primers, signalers and releasers (and “pheromones”)

33. Cultural constraints e.g. youth and beauty in women? e.g. maturity and resources in men? • Results of • “The International Mate Selection Project” • What do women want? • What do men want?

35. Cultural constraints

36. Cultural constraints

37. Internal factors: • 1. Age • e.g. when is “puberty”?

38. Familiarity: • e.g. The Coolidge Effect and the “double standard” “In certain species, a male that has become sexually exhausted from repeated copulation with the same female will demonstrate renewed vigor if presented with a succession of new females” - Jared Diamond … and a female “Coolidge Effect” “The Mae West Effect”?

39. Familiarity: • e.g. Incest and “The Incest Taboo” Freud's Theory Westermarck’s Theory Modern research and theory

40. 3. Menstrual Cycle:

41. 4. Misattribution e.g. “arousal transference”

42. 5. Sexual Fantasies The research... e.g. “rape” fantasies Jealousy Sexual infidelity? Emotional infidelity?

43. Sex and Love in the Modern Era • New solutions to old problems: • The Battle Between the Sexes • The Battle Within the Sexes • Cultural rituals around universals: • Courting, Romance, Marriage

44. A.Courting:the psychology of initial interest The stages of courtship: 1. Attention getting 2. Mutual recognition 3. Non-tactile interactions 4. Touch 5. Total body synchrony

45. Courting: • the psychology of initial interest Why courtship?

46. Courting: • the psychology of initial interest Attitudes to courting: The problem of deceit Modern approaches to courtship e.g. the internet ... and “the click problem” “The feminization of lust.” - Helen Fisher

47. B. Romance:the psychology of mutual attraction The Nature of Infatuation Cultural attitudes The Question: “Would you marry if you were not in love with the other person?”

48. B. Romance:the psychology of mutual attraction The Quest for Conviction “Positive Illusions” The problem of intimacy“The Intimacy Gap” “Romantic love has become unleashed on our modern world” - Helen Fisher

49. C. Marriage:the psychology of long-term attachmentThe alternative forms of attachmentpolygamies: polygyny, polyandry, polygynandry monogamies: sexual, social, serial

50. C. Marriage:the psychology of long-term attachmentThe problem of adultery: attitudes and actions Modern approaches:e.g. “open marriage”, “polyamory”, “mate poaching”