Lecture Notes

Chapter 2 Theoretical Perspectives on Sexuality

Updated: 2007-05-18

Several theories from several sources attempt to provide logical frameworks for human sexuality. While reading about these theories, remember that ALL psychological theories try to simplify, explain, and predict behavior. Use these theories like you would use a map or a roadsign, in other words as a guide to the behavior being studied.

Sociobiology
- Edward O. Wilson
- The behavior of social animals
- Social nature of sex
  - Partners attempt to maximize their genetic investments
  - Genders have different strategies
    - Male strategies
    - Female strategies
- Controversial when applied to humans
Psychoanalytic Theory
- Sigmund Freud
- Zeitgeist of late 19th century Europe
- Repressed sexuality and Victorian times
  - Was sexuality really repressed?
- Importance of Freud's emphasis on sex or libido
- Freud and the death instinct or thanatos
- Psychoanalysis and Hollywood
Learning Theory
- Historical context of learning theory's appearance
  - Early psychology and its problems
  - Pavlov and Watson
  - The golden age of learning theory and its effects
  - Modern hubris over modifiability
Cognitive Theories
- Cognitivism: Old and new
- New cognitivism and the computer revolution
- Cognitive theory and sexual behavior (Annie Hall)
  - Labelling
  - Gender schemas
Sociological Theories
- Sexual scripts
  - Popular notions and stereotypes about "typical" girls or boys, sexual development, interaction and sequence (i.e., petting before kissing is out of sequence)
- Levels of analysis
  - Many levels exist, they are hierarchical, interrelated, and interacting
  - "Truths" at one level do not necessarity apply to other levels (i.e., individuals and mobs)
  - Social institutions:
    - religion, economy, family, medicine, law
- Ira Reiss
  - Two factors combine to make sex important in all societies
    - Physical pleasure
    - Great personal intimacy

URLs
- Sociobiology
  - Interview with Edward O. Wilson
  - ToC from Buss & Malamuth's, Sex, Power, Conflict: Evolutionary and Feminist Perspectives
  - Evolutionary Psychology--nice site on relationship of behavior and evolution, some material on sexual theory including an essay on men and their sexuality
  - Evolutionary psychology primer--Cosmides and Tooby
  - Female Courtship Strategies--long discussion of motivators of female courtship
- Psychoanalysis
  - Wilhelm Reich--discussion of Reich's psychoanalytic views on sexuality.
- Learning Theory
  - Social Learning Theories--describes some social learning theories and how they relate to sexuality.
- Cognitive Theory
  - Sandra Bem--short biography
  - Male/Female Brain Tests--take two tests to see how your brain is "wired."
- Sociological Theory
  - Ira Reiss--biography
  - An introduction to the many meanings of sexological knowledge--reprint of Ira Reiss article.

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