Summaries and study assistance with Understanding Human Sexuality by Hyde & Delamater - Booktool

  Tools

De hele tekst op deze pagina lezen? Alle JoHo tools gebruiken? Sluit je dan aan bij JoHo en log in!
 

Aansluiten bij JoHo als abonnee of donateur

The world of JoHo footer met landenkaart

Booktool for JoHo subscribers

 

Book: Understanding Human Sexuality by Hyde & Delamater

Studytools: Booksummaries - ExamTests

Mededelingen en laatste stand van tool, wijzer, vak of boek

 

Study Tools

Published

  • English booksummary with all chapters of the 14th edition

 

Test Tools

Published

  • English ExamTests with all chapters of the 14th edition
 

Tools in Print

Published

  • English booksummary with all chapters of the 14th edition

  • English ExamTests with all chapters of the 14th edition

Booksummary per chapter

Summaries per chapter with the 14th edition of Understanding Human Sexuality by Hyde & Delamater - Bundle

Summaries per chapter with the 14th edition of Understanding Human Sexuality by Hyde & Delamater - Bundle

What is the book Understanding Human Sexuality about? - Chapter 0

What is the book Understanding Human Sexuality about? - Chapter 0

The book Understanding Human Sexuality was written by Hyde and Delamater. It describes sociological, biological, and psychological perspectives on sexuality.

The first author, Janet Shibley Hyde, has done a lot of research towards sexuality; and mainly towards the topics of gender differences and gender development in adolescence. Hyde was married to John D. DeLamater, the co-author of this book. He focused his research on the influence of marital duration, attitudes about sex for elders, and illness and medication on sexual expression. Both Hyde and DeLamater are based at the University of Wisconsin. DeLamater passed away in December 2017.

The book starts by giving a broad introduction to the topic of sexuality and introduces common terms and their meaning (Chapter 1). It covers the early theories of sexuality (Chapter 2) and important research towards sex (Chapter 3). A few chapters will eloborate on the biological aspects of sexuality (Chapter 4-7). The topics of sexual arousal (Chapter 8), sexuality across the life cycle (Cahpter 9 & 10), and topics of attraction and love (Chapter 11) are discussed as well. Sexuality, sexual orientations and variations in these will be touched upon in Chapter 12 to 14. Sexual coercion (Chapter 15), sex for sale (Chapter 16) and sex diseases (Chapter 17 & 18) will then be discussed. Sociological perspectives on sexuality are covered as well (Chapter 19-20).

How can we put sexuality in perspective? - Chapter 1

How can we put sexuality in perspective? - Chapter 1

Sexual behaviour is a diverse phenomenon that occurs in several physical situations, social contexts and is experienced differently by everyone. Everyone has a complex set of motivations and external influences that determine the decision of whether or not to engage in sexual behaviour. It is difficult to answer all the questions about sexuality within one scientific discipline. The study of sexuality is important for the following reasons:

  1. The exchange of sexual information is taboo in many societies.

  2. For many people, sexuality is an important motivation in life.

  3. Some people experience difficulties with sex and problems with their sexual functioning.


What is the difference between sex and gender?

The definition of gender is whether someone is male, female or something else; such as trans. However, sometimes the word sex is used to describe gender, for example on a job application form. However, most of the times sex refers to sexual behaviour or reproduction. The ambiguity in the use of the word sex causes confusion. In the context of this book, the term sex describes sexual activity and gender refers to being male, female or something else.

Besides the ambiguity in the use of the word sex, there are other problems with the difference between sex and gender. A lot of contemporary research is based on the gender binary, this is the notion that there are only two genders, being male and female. Also, the activities that are included in sex are debatable. Biologists describe sex as every behaviour that potentially lead to the union of an egg-cell and sperm-cell. However, sexual behaviour is not only used for reproduction, but also for recreation. Therefore, this book will stick to the definition of sexual behaviour as behaviour that cause arousal and increases the chance of an orgasm; although there are problems with this definition as well.

What is the history of sexuality in religion and science?

Until about one hundred years ago, the available knowledge on sexuality came from religious sources. The ancient Greek already told myths about the existence of hetero -and homosexuality. In this way, they could understand these sexual orientations. In ancient Christianity, they believed that having a “wet dream” was caused by having sex with the mythical creatures’ incubi ­and succubi. The person who had the wet dream was sometimes accused of witchcraft. Muslims believe that sex is one of the most pleasurable things in life, which reflects upon the teachings of the prophet Mohammed.

Scientific research towards sexuality started in the nineteenth century, even though at that time it was still illegal according to religion. In his book “Theoretical Perspectives on Sexuality” Freud described the cultural background of sexual behaviour for the first time. Norms concerning sex used to be very strict and rigid; causing sexual tension and conflict. The psychiatrist Richard von Krafft-Ebing (1840-1902) described the pathology of sexual behaviour for the first time. Hirschfeld was interested in research about homosexuality and introduced the term transvestite. Only in the twentieth century, there was a breakthrough in scientific research towards sexuality. It was the same period in which large-scale surveys were conducted in the United States. Because of this way of researching, sexual disorders and alternating sexual orientations were exposed for the first time. At the same time, scientists started investigating the biological processes of sexual behaviour.

What is the influence of mass-media on sexuality?

The mass media has had a significant influence on knowledge on sexuality comparable to religion. Especially television was of great importance, in only one hour of American television, adolescents were exposed to a mean of seventeen behaviours or conversations about sex. Only two percent of these images show sexual repercussions. Many of the American insights about sexuality therefore come from mass media, instead of scientific research. The concept of cultivation is the exposure to sexual behaviour in mass media where people believe this resembles reality.

Another major impact of mass media is called agenda setting. It is defined as the choices that news-creators make in what information they present to their audience. The framing theory states that the media draw attention to certain topics and not to others, suggesting how we should think about certain matters. In this way, the media provide a framework.

The third influence of mass media is social learning. In social learning, the characters in films serve as social models that people use to construct their ideas about the reality of sex. Besides television, the internet is an important source of sexual knowledge. There are both positive and negative norms displayed on the internet. Besides bad information about sexual behaviour, positive information about sexual health is widely available and promoted. This caused the number of sexual abuse over the internet to decrease over the last years.

However, we are also subject to the process of selectivity ourselves: People select and pay attention to certain media and not to others. We are prone to seek information that is consistent with our own beliefs and views.

What are cross-cultural perspectives on sexuality?

Culture is defined as the traditional norms and values that are transferred through group members by cultural symbols, such as language. These ideas and values are the basis for behavioural patterns for members of that group. Ethnocentrism influences this understanding of sexual behaviour, because most people experience sex through the eyes of their culture. The pattern in which people experience sex is therefore seen as correct. However, different cultures hold very different attitudes towards sex. There has not ever been a single society that has been able to guarantee complete freedom of sexual behaviour: There are always some rules concerning sex. For example, almost every society has incest taboos; meaning that it is illegal to have sex with a relative. Also, in most societies, rape and sexual assault are forbidden. Besides rules about incest and rape, many differences exist between cultural norms of sex:

  1. Variations in sexual techniques resemble the differences in techniques of sex. Kissing of a partner is a very normal thing to do in the Western society, but is seen as disgusting by the Tonga Africans. Romantic kissing is in fact not present in 54 per cent of cultures. Also, cunnilingus, the stimulation of the female genitals is seen as completely normal in Western societies. In different cultures this is practiced in a very different way. The average amount of sex that people engage in deviates for each culture. The Irish natives have the least sex between couples on average; maybe only once a month, while the Mangaians are used to having sex several times a night. Almost every culture describes norms on postpartum sex, which is the taboo of having sex after giving birth.

  2. Masturbation or self-stimulation is tolerated in some cultures while it is forbidden in others. Especially rules about female masturbation vary among different cultures.

  3. Different cultures hold different attitudes towards topics like pre -and post marital sex. In the Pacific, pre-marital sex is completely normal and approved in 90% of the occasions. However, 73% of cases of premarital sex is disapproved in the Mediterranean area.

  4. Homosexuality is often disapproved of in the United States. In other cultures, homosexuality among men is promoted. It seems there are two important universal rules about homosexuality. The first is that homosexuality exists in every culture. The second is that sex between two people of the same gender is never the most prevalent relationship form.

  5. Attractiveness determines the choice for a sexual partner. The norms of attractiveness vary among cultures but there seems to be one conformity: a pale skin colour is seen as unattractive in most cultures.

What is the influence of differences in social class and ethnicity on sexual behaviour in the United States?

Some varieties in attitudes in the United States can be explained in terms of differences in social class, whereas others can be explained in terms of ethnicity. Social class is often determined by education. The influence on sexual behaviour is that women that had a higher-level education are more likely to use birth control. People with a lower education level are therefore also more likely to have children at a younger age. These children often have a lower education level as well. This means that sexuality might also influence social class.

Besides the influence of social class, there are ethnical differences in sexuality:

  • In the Afro-Caribbean culture, the general norm is that women should be modest. They see the African Americans as being sexually undisciplined. The percentage of African Americans that engage in marriage is lower than in other ethnic groups. This is caused by the obstacles they face in finding a decent job to be able to take care of a family.

  • Latinos are people from Latin American heritage. Researchers nowadays tend to stick to the term Latinx instead of Latinos; because the latter is rather gender-bound. They have a different view on sexuality compared to most Americans. Gender-roles are highly specific and are taught during childhood. The gender-roles in the Latinx culture are characterised by machismo or macho. It literally means masculinity and implicates that a man is responsible for the honour and well-being of his family. The female form is marianismo and mean that motherhood is highly valued. Also, keeping your virginity until marriage is an important consideration for a woman. Familismo means that family is important, and support, loyalty, solidarity and family-honour are central values in the Latinx culture.

  • Asian Americans represent different cultural groups. They include Chinese, Japanese, but also Indians. Especially the Chinese have a repressive outlook on sex. The people from Cambodia believed that withholding information about sex would lead to a decrease in premarital sex. Their conservative cultural values, relevant for sexual attitudes are the following:

    1. Collectivism relates to a culture where people value others more than they value themselves. Openness of sexual behaviour could lead to discomfort in others, thus it is not tolerated. Individualistic cultures have the norm that people value themselves and their own opinions more than they do of others. Then there are honor cultures as well, which stress 'face', that is, individuals' reputation and the respect or honor that people show toward it.

    2. Conformity to norms means that people need to live up to high expectations of their family and society. Shame and loss of face are important conditions on how to behave.

    3. Emotional control means that emotions should not be publicly displayed. Love and passion should not be showed to the outside world.

  • American Indians are the native Americans and exist from different tribes. Men of this culture are masculine and often pictured naked. Females from the native American culture are vulnerable, attractive and maidenly. They have strict rules about pre-marital sex.

  • Nowadays, a lot of people are in fact biracial or multiracial; which makes the prior categorizations rather ambiguous.

Racial microaggressions are subtle insults that are displayed to people of another (racial) background. It happens unnoticed and unconsciously; but it can lead to stress for the victim. There are gender microaggressions, sexual orientation microaggressions and microaggressions against transgenders as well.

In ancient China, there were positive and open attitudes towards human sexuality. Modern China is however very repressive towards sex. Up until the 1980s, prostitution, premarital sex, homosexuality and variant sexual behaviors were illegal. A sexual liberation started in the 1980s and is still continuing.

What is the significance of cross-cultural research on sexuality?

Scientific research on human sexuality is important for two reasons:

  1. It helps to determine the variation in sexual behaviour and help us to put this into perspective.

  2. These studies provide important insights in the importance of cultural learning on sexual behaviour. Cultural differences show that sexual behaviour is not only caused by biological factors.

What are cross-species perspectives on sexuality?

People are just one of the different species. Every species is involved in sexual behaviour. We can learn about human sexual behaviour by studying sexual behaviour in animals.

  1. Masturbation is present in many animal species. Especially apes often engage in masturbation. Not only male, but also female masturbation is observed in animal species.

  2. Homosexuality is present in other animals and this may suggest that we are biologically bisexual. This is because homosexual behaviour is present in all animal species.

  3. Sexual signalling or flirting happens across all species. It is an universal act.

  4. Uniqueness of humans. In higher animal classifications, such as primates, sexual behaviour is guided more by hormones than by internal impulses. The environmental influence on sexual behaviour is more present in primates than in fish, for example. For humans, the environment also has an important influence on sexual behaviour. There is not much of human sexual behaviour that is unique to humans only, except for the cultural norms that are related to sexuality.

  5. Non-sexual use of sexual behaviour is often described as using sex to express dominance. It happens in primates, but also in humans. For instance, rape is a desire for dominance that is expressed using sexual behaviour.

What is the sexual health perspective?

Sexual health is the political and social movement that is directed towards a shift of focus towards sexual health and sexual rights. Discussions about sexual health concern pathology, such as the infection with the HIV-virus. However, the concept is in reality a lot bigger and includes sexual rights. These are universal basic rights that people have regarding their sexuality. This includes self-determination, freedom from sexual abuse, and the right to express oneself sexually.

What are the theoretical pespectives on sexuality? - Chapter 2
What does the field of sex research entail? - Chapter 3
What is the sexual anatomy? - Chapter 4
What are sex hormones, sexual differentation, and the menstrual cycle? - Chapter 5
How do pregnancy and childbirth work? - Chapter 6
How do contraception and abortion work? - Chapter 7
What is Sexual Arousal? - Chapter 8
How does sexuality develop along the life cycle: childhood and adolescence? - Chapter 9
How does sexuality develop along the life cycle: adulthood - Chapter 10
What are theories about attraction, love and communication? - Chapter 11
How does gender influence sexuality? - Chapter 12
What are different sexual orientations: gay, straight, or bi? - Chapter 13
What are the variations in sexual behavior? - Chapter 14
What is sexual coercion? - Chapter 15
What is 'sex for sale'? - Chapter 16
What are sexual disorders? - Chapter 17
What are sexually transmitted infections? - Chapter 18
How do ethics and religion influence sexuality? - Chapter 19
How is sex included in the law? - Chapter 20
JoHo nieuwsupdates voor inspiratie, motivatie en nieuwe ervaringen: winter 23/24

Projecten, Studiehulp en tools:

  • Contentietools: wie in deze dagen verwonderd om zich heen kijkt kan wellicht terecht op de pagina's over tolerantie en verdraagzaamheid en over empathie en begrip, mocht dat niet voldoende helpen check dan eens de pagina over het omgaan met stress of neem de vluchtroute via activiteit en avontuur in het buitenland.
  • Competentietools: voor meer werkplezier en energie en voor betere prestaties tijdens studie of werk kan je gebruik maken van de pagina's voor vaardigheden en competenties.
  • Samenvattingen: de studiehulp voor Rechten & Juridische opleidingen is sinds de zomer van 2023 volledig te vinden op JoHo WorldSupporter.org. Voor de studies Pedagogiek en Psychologie kan je ook in 2024 nog op JoHo.org terecht.
  • Projecten: sinds het begin van 2023 is Bless the Children, samen met JoHo, weer begonnen om de slum tours nieuw leven in te blazen na de langdurige coronastop. Inmiddels draaien de sloppentours weer volop en worden er weer nieuwe tourmoeders uit deze sloppen opgeleid om de tours te gaan leiden. In het najaar van 2023 is ook een aantal grote dozen met JoHo reiskringloop materialen naar de Filipijnen verscheept. Bless the Children heeft daarmee in het net geopende kantoortje in Baseco, waar de sloppentour eindigt, een weggeef- en kringloopwinkel geopend.

Vacatures, Verzekeringe en vertrek naar buitenland:

World of JoHo:

  • Leiden: de verbouwing van het Leidse JoHo pand loopt lichte vertraging op, maar nadert het einde. Naar verwachting zullen eind februari de deuren weer geopend kunnen worden.
  • Den Haag: aangezien het monumentale JoHo pand in Den Haag door de gemeente noodgedwongen wordt afgebroken en herbouwd, zal JoHo gedurende die periode gehuisvest zijn in de Leidse vestiging.
  • Medewerkers: met name op het gebied van studiehulpcoördinatie, internationale samenwerking en internationale verzekeringen wordt nog gezocht naar versterking!

Nieuws en jaaroverzicht 2023 -2024

  

  

Exams and tests

   

    

   

Webshop for printversions

Summaries and study assistance per related study programme

  

 

JoHo: crossroads uit de selectie