Transcription
Good day everyone. Welcome to our lecture series for the course Understanding the Self. And from the previous topic, we have talked about the first, um, topic on the unpacking the self, which is the physical self. Now, we'll be talking about the next or then the second one, the sexual self. So, these are the outline of the lesson for this video. So, we, I will not be including any more about the development of uh sex characteristics and the human reproductive system because we have learned that already from our basic education, from our, um, elementary or even in high school. And, um, also, I'm not going to include the development of the sexual organs in the embryo and fetus and the puberty stage. We know that already. And, um, what I want you to focus is to, is on this topics. So, let's understand the human sexual response. So, don't, um, for the rest of the video, please, um, be open-minded. Let's educate ourselves. No, be open in this sex education. This is for you to know, to be more, um, responsive and responsible of getting to know about this aspect of yours. So, let's start with the understanding the human sexual response. So, what is a sexual response cycle? It refers to the sequence of physical and emotional occurrences when a person is participating in a sexually stimulating activity such as intercourse or masturbation. And, um, knowing how the body responds during each phase of the cycle can help enhance a couple's sexual relationship, and it can also help address the cause of sexual dysfunction. Right? So, in general, both men and women experience these phases. However, um, they do not experience it at the same time. For example, it is unlikely that a couple will orgasm simultaneously. Moreover, the intensity of the sensation and the time spent in each phase also vary from person to person.
Now, in the late 1950s, William Masters and Virginia Johnson pioneered research to understand human sexual response dysfunction and disorders. Masters and Johnson have been widely recognized for their contributions to sexual psychological, um, and psychiatric research, particularly for their theory of a four-stage model of sexual response, also known as the human sexual response cycle. And these are the phases of the human sexual response cycle: excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution. Now, let's get started. Let's first discuss the phase one, excitement. So, in here, these are the general characteristics during the first phase. Muscle tension increases, heart rate quickens, and breathing is accelerated. Skin may become flushed. Nipples become hardened or erect. Blood flow to the genitals increases, resulting in swelling of the woman's clitoris and labia minora, and the erection of the man's penis. There is also vaginal lubrication that is beginning, and the woman's breasts become fuller, and the vaginal walls begin to swell. Lastly, there is an observance of men's testicles that swell, his scrotum tightens, and he begins secreting or releasing a lubricating liquid. Yay! For sure, again, let's educate ourselves on this. So, don't, um, find it like intimidating. This is natural. This is, this is really according to us.
So, the second phase is plateau. These are the general characteristics wherein the changes begun in the phase one are already intensified. So, the vagina continues to swell from increased blood flow, and the vaginal walls turn a dark purple. So, the woman's clitoris becomes highly sensitive. It may even be painful to touch and retracts under the clitoral hood to avoid direct stimulation. The man's testicles are withdrawn up into the scrotum. Breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure continue to progress, to progress during this phase. The muscles, spasms may begin in the feet, the face, and hands, and there is the tension in the muscles increases.
So, for the phase three, for the orgasm phase, this is the phase, uh, take note of this. This is the phase wherein there's the presence of climax in the sexual response cycle. It is the shortest of the phase and generally lasts only a few seconds. It includes involuntary muscle contractions. The blood pressure, the heart rate, the breathing are at their highest rate with a rapid intake of oxygen. Muscles in the feet spasm. There is a sudden, forceful release of sexual tension. And in women, the muscles of the vagina contract. The uterus also undergoes rhythmic contractions. However, in men, the rhythmic contractions of the muscles at the base of the penis result in the ejaculation of semen, and a rush or sex flush may appear over the entire body.
And the last phase, the resolution. During this phase, the body slowly returns to its normal functioning level. The swelled and erect body parts return to their previous size and color. This phase is marked by a general sense of well-being. Intimacy is enhanced, and often fatigue sets in. So, with further sexual stimulation, some women can return to the orgasm phase. This allows them to experience multiple orgasms. That's possible. And for men, on the other hand, need recovery time after, and this is called the refractory period. How long a man needs a refractory period varies among men and his age.
Now, let's talk about the relationship of sex in the brain. So, what parts are involved? Primarily, sex is the process of combining male and female genes to form an offspring. However, complex systems of behavior have evolved the sexual process from its primary purpose of reproduction to motivation and rewards circuit that roots sexual behavior. Ultimately, the largest sex organ controlling the biological urges, mental process, as well as the emotional and physical responses to sex, it is the brain. So, let's talk about the roles of the brain in sexual activity. First, the brain is responsible for translating the nerve impulses sensed by the skin into pleasurable sensations. Second, it controls the nerves and muscles used in sexual activities. The third one, the sexual thoughts and fantasies are theorized to lie in the cerebral cortex, that is part of our structure in the brain, wherein the same area used for thinking and reasoning. Emotions and feelings, which is, which are important for sexual behavior, are also believed to originate in the limbic system. And the brain releases the hormones considered as the physiological origin of sexual desire.
So, how about talking about the hormones? Let's, let's, um, examine the roles of hormones in sexual activity. Now, the hypothalamus is the most important part of the brain for sexual functioning because this is a small area at the base of the brain. There are several groups of nerve cell bodies that receive input from the limbic system. And one reason the hypothalamus is important in human sexual activity is its relation to the pituitary gland. Now, what is the pituitary gland? It secretes or releases the hormones produced in the hypothalamus. So, these are the different hormones secreted from the pituitary gland, commanded by the hypothalamus. First, we have oxytocin. This is also known as the love hormone and believed to be involved in our desire to maintain close relationships. So, it is released during sexual intercourse when orgasm is achieved. Second is the follicle-stimulating hormone, and it is responsible for ovulation for the females. According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Dornheim, uh, they discovered that sexual activity was more frequent during a woman's fertile time. Another is the luteinizing hormone, which is crucial in regulating the testes in men and ovaries in women. So, in men, the luteinizing hormone stimulates testes to produce what we call testosterone. And in males, this testosterone appears to be a major contributing factor to sexual motivation. The first one is the vasopressin. It is involved in the male arousal phase. The increase of vasopressin during the erectile response is believed to be directly associated with increased motivation to engage in sexual behavior. And lastly, we have estrogen and progesterone. They are typically regulating motivation to engage in sexual behavior for females.
Now, after understanding the role of the brain and also the hormones in sexual activity, let us understand the chemistry of lust, love, and attachment. Now, falling in love can be a beautifully wild experience. So, fast forward a few years, and the excitement will have died down. So, for couples who remain together through the years, the rush would have been replaced by a warm, comfortable, and nurturing feeling. So, each stage of this cycle can actually be explained by your brain chemistry, the neurotransmitters that get stimulated to release hormones throughout your body. There is, uh, there was anthropologist Helen Fisher of Rutgers University, who proposed three stages of falling in love. And for each stage, a different set of chemicals are around. So, these are the three stages of falling in love according to Helen Fisher. First is the lust or the erotic passion. Second, attraction or the romantic passion. And the third one is attachment or the commitment. So, let's begin with the, uh, exploring about lust. So, this stage is marked with physical attraction, the erotic passion, as we have mentioned earlier. So, you want to seduce and be seduced by your object of affection. Lust is driven by testosterone in men, and for women, it's the estrogen. However, lust will not guarantee that the couple will fall in love in any lasting way.
So, the second one is the attraction or the romantic passion. So, at this stage, you begin to crave for your partner's presence, the feeling of excitement, being energetic as you fantasize about the things you can do together as a couple. So, there are three chemicals triggering this type of feeling. So, we have norepinephrine, which is responsible for the extra surge of energy and triggers increased heart rate, the loss of appetite, as well as the desire to sleep. So, your body is in a more alert state and is ready for action. Second is dopamine, associated with motivation and goal-directed behavior. This makes you pursue your object of affection. Um, it creates a sense of novelty where the person seems exciting, special, or unique that you want to tell the world about his or her admirable qualities. And lastly, is serotonin. The thought or cause obsessive thinking. Low levels of serotonin are said to be present in people with OCD or obsessive-compulsive behavior. Meanwhile, there was a study found who found out that, uh, those who expressed they were in love and people having obsessive-compulsive behavior both had less serotonin transporter in their blood, compared to those who did not express they were in love and do not have OCD as well. So, take note of these three chemicals triggering the feeling of attraction.
And last but not least, we have attachment. Attachment involves the desire to have lasting commitment with your significant other. So, at this point, accordingly, you may want to get married or have children. So, commitment. So, that's synonyms. Now, let's extend our understanding, especially in the psychological aspect of sexual desire. So, sexual desire is typically viewed as an interest in sexual objects or activities. It is often confused with sex drive, but these are fundamentally different constructs because sex drive represents a basic, a biologically mediated motivation to seek sexual activity or sexual gratification. In contrast, sexual desire represents a more complex psychological experience that is not dependent on hormonal factors. So, however, the developmental research suggested that the capacity to experience sexual desire, though not hormone-dependent, are probably still facilitated by hormones. So, for example, because, um, of adrenal gland development and the subsequent secretion of adrenal hormones, a nine-year-old, uh, some nine-year-old children may experience sexual desires. Researchers noted that despite this development, children who experience such desires generally are not motivated to seek sexual gratification or activity. So, such motivation typically develops after 12 years old when puberty produces notable surges in the levels of our gonadal hormones. Right? Um, so meaning physiological arousal is not a necessary element of sexual desire and should not be considered a more valid marker of sexual desire than individual self-reported feelings.
Now, let's talk about gender differences on sexual desire. There are factors that influence the notable gender difference on sexual desire. This includes the culture, the social environment, and even the political situations. And one of the most notable gender differences on sexual desire is that women place great emphasis on interpersonal relationships as part of the experience. Males, on the other hand, enjoy a more casual sexual behavior. Now, alternatively, some researchers attributed that because of the different evolutionary pressures men and women face through time. Early human females practiced selective mating with carefully chosen males to achieve maximum reproductive success, while no such pressure was evident on men. So, this may have favored the evolution of stronger sexual desires for men than women.
So, let's now talk about the diversity of sexual behavior. Like food, sex is an important part of our lives. From an evolutionary perspective, the reason is obvious: the perpetuation of the species. Sexual behavior in humans, however, involves much more than reproduction. So, let's define what is sexual orientation. It is defined as the individual's general sexual disposition toward partners of the same sex, the opposite sex, or both sexes. And there has been much interest in sexual desire as an index of sexual orientation. Historically, the most important indicator of the same sex, for example, the gay, lesbian, or bisexual, this same-sex orientation was same-sex sexual desire. There were past studies that thought that gay, lesbian, bisexual individuals were the only people who ever experienced same-sex sexual desires. However, it was found, though, that completely heterosexual persons periodically experience same-sex sexual desires, even if they have little motivation to act on those desires.
So, let's have the definition of terms on this, um, SOGIE. Sex is a label, whether a male or a female, based on the genitals you're born with and the chromosomes that you have. The gender, on the other hand, is not determined biologically but is constructed socially. Sexual orientation is an inherent or immutable enduring emotional, romantic, or sexual attraction to some other people. While the gender identity, it's one's innermost concept of self as a male, female, a blend of both, or neither. How individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves. So, here's an illustration of the SOGIE. SOGIE stands for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression. Every one of us has what we call a SOGIE. So, here in the illustration, there. Let's start with in this illustration, the assigned gender or the sex at birth. Okay, this pertains to your, um, sexual assignment or genital assignment. So, there is what we call AMAB or the assigned male at birth, AFAB, assigned female at birth. So, generally, this is made possible because the doctor said that, uh, there is a vagina, so female, and doctor, um, penis, male. Also under this, um, construct, we have the intersex, naturally occurring variation of sex characteristics, the reproductive organs, chromosomes that do not fit the typical definition of male or female. Although many intersex people are assigned male or female at birth. So, take note that the assigned gender or sex at birth is different than sex, which is based on many variable factors.
So, where we are heading next, sexual orientation. Here on the right, uh, side, this is, uh, when we talk about sexual orientation as defined, it's who the person is, I mean, uh, who a person is sexually attracted to. Okay? And sexual orientation, orientation, assigned gender, sex at birth, sex, penis, female, vagina, assigned by the doctor. There is a sexual orientation: homosexual, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, demisexual. The guy knowing, attracted, okay? Next is gender identity. There is a picture, sexual orientation somewhere in the middle part, attracted identity and sense of self in relation to gender among categories like transgender. Transgender person is not the gender assigned at birth. Um, boom, let's say, young assigned sex guy, male, seizure gender identity, okay, opposite. Transgender person is the gender assignment birth, so not much at birth. Identify, say, young South Korean, non-binary, gender, gender fluid. So, okay. Next is the, um, romantic orientation. So, there is a romantic orientation, who a person is romantically attracted to. So, like sexually attracted to, those romantically attracted to. So, these are the categories: romantic, so a romantic attraction to people of a different gender than your own, the opposite. Homo romantic, so similar gender to your own. Somatic, aromantic, demeromantic, romantic, okay? Then let's have the gender expression. So, foreign. Okay, the gender expression. Foreign. So, this is how a person presents themselves, such as a young style, young action, no? So, a young manifestations, dinner feminine qualities and characteristics that are typically associated with femininity. Femininity expresses qualities and characteristics typically associated with masculinity. So, androgynous, express near both feminine and masculine. Okay? So, express me, yeah, both. So, take note that the gender expression may change over time or in different situations. For example, see Harry Styles on [Music]. Foreign [Music]. At birth, pero, it's not our part anymore, no? Again, no, an objective identified assigned at birth or sex at birth. There is a long gender identity, sexual orientation, gender expression. It's never our role to objectify a person. So, let them, um, so again, foreign, okay, cisgender, massage, um, changes in our society. So, yeah, all right. So, regardless of orientations or identity, let's make sure, nah, it's now. Let's be careful, be sensitive, guy. We are living in a community, in a diverse and inclusive. Okay? So, that's all, um, of course, to educate you about your sexual self. Yeah, sex diseases, possibly that a person can have these diseases or [Music]. Um, foreign [Music]. It's a disease or infection that is acquired through sexual contact where the organisms that cause the STD are passed from person to person in blood, through blood, through semen, and vaginal or any bodily fluids during the pregnancy, blood transfusion. Foreign. Okay. And among the following pictures, genital herpes, genital warts, no. Foreign sex diseases, irresponsible, um, responsible because multiple partners, um, now, there is what we call safe sex is family planning. So, for sure, foreign, foreign, or [Music], um, gonna protect me from diseases. So, my mama birth control, um, um, oral contraceptives, birth control patch, and birth control adhesives. So, in this case, ring, all right. So, birth control insert, okay, contraceptive, okay. Another subdermal implant, picture, foreign, foreign, cervical cap, no, nice cervical cap, silicon type of skin insert, lunches, female reproductive organ, guarded, then nasai, male condoms, some market or some advertisements on latex rubber, elaborate female condoms, ang female condom, it's a thin pouch, vagina before sex, so Naga protection, pregnancy protection, including HIV, okay, uh, job, we say, and another said the methods is the surgical methods, okay, vasectomy, tubal ligation, and, uh, many more, for sure, ways to be searched on this preview, para aware, educated. [Music] Prevention. And that ends our topic for the sexual self. Thank you, everyone, for listening.