UNIT 7_SEXUAL SELF

• Human beings are all - sexual beings.
•  Sexual development - takes place when humans are still inside the womb of mothers. The development continues when they are born and mature.
• Primary sex characteristics are seen after birth because of the - sex organs.
• male - penis

  female - vagina.
• Accurate ultrasound imaging, identifies the sex of a fetus prior to birth. There are people born of two sexes too.
• Hermaphrodites - have both male and female sex organs. () are raised normally, but they are advised to undergo operation and choose the sex they want.
• Secondary sex characteristics refer to the other visible changes that are seen in puberty. If primary sex characteristics are reproductive in nature because they include testes and ovaries, secondary sex characteristics are non-reproductive.
• Top 10 Pleasure Points On Male

  • Ears
  • Mouth/Lips
  • Nape of Neck
  • Back of Neck
  • Nipples
  • Public Hairline
  • Penis
  • Scrotum
  • Perineum
  • Inner Thigh
• Top 10 Pleasure Points On Female

  • Ears
  • Mouth/Lips
  • Nape of Neck
  • Back of Neck
  • Nipples
  • Breasts
  • Lower Back
  • Clitoris
  • Vagina
  • Inner Thigh
• One way of knowing the self is to know the body. The physical self tells you who you are.
• For one's sexual self, there are parts of the body where sexual awakening takes place. These areas of the body that have an unusually rich array of nerve receptors sensitive to touch are known as erogenous zones. If persons are aware of them, they can be responsible. For protection, a person must be in control and know when to say "no."
• HUMAN SEXUAL RESPONSE - Was there ever a time when your body reacted to intimate scenes that you saw in the movies, on television and videos, and in books you were reading? If yes, you are normal because these are signs of a very () . You reacted because like everyone else, you are a sexual being. If you did not, you are probably asexual or have no sexual feelings at all.
• As sexual beings, humans have desires for sexual pleasure and satisfaction. These things have psychological and physiological bases. The body reacts when something is perceived to be sexually pleasurable. Desiring for somebody is normal. All human beings have desires.
• Desire and sexuality cannot be separated.
• Libido is sex drive or the desire for sexual activity.
• Sexologists have identified desire as the coming together of visual, biochemical, emotional, and biomechanical cues that trigger a hormonal cascade that may culminate in the successful fertilization of an egg by a sperm.
• Brain - being the master of the body, affects the nervous system, circulatory system, and reproductive system. The () has many parts that are involved in sexual responses.
• Parts of the Brain that involved in sexual responses:

  • Cerebral Cortex and Subcortex
  • Limbic System
  • Reticular Activating System (RAS)
• Cerebral Cortex - It is the upper part of the brain called gray matter that controls a higher order functioning, such as language and judgment.
• Subcortex - This is the lower part of the brain. It includes the following: Cerebellum, Medulla oblongata, Pons, and Diencephalon,
• Cerebellum - which coordinates body movements.
• Medulla oblongata - which regulates heartbeat, respiration, and the other basic physiological processs.
• Brain of Emotions / Limbic system

  • Hypothalamus
  • Thalamus
  • Hippocampus
  • Pituitary Gland
  • Amygdala
• Pons - which regulates the sleep cycle.
• Diencephalon - which regulates emotions.
• Diencephalon is made up of thalamus and hypothalamus.
• Thalamus - relays sensory impulses from the other parts of the nervous system to the cerebral cortex.
• Hypothalamus - aside from being a key structure in sexual arousal, is also the activator of the autonomic nervous system. () controls basic body responses, such as hormone balance, temperature, and the constriction and dilation of blood vessels.
• Limbic System - This is the part of the brain that is known to be the "seat of emotions," which produces emotions in response to physical and psychological signals.
• Reticular Activating System (RAS) - It is a network of nerves that connects the cortex and the subcortex, it connects the mind and the body.
• From the brain, the message passes through the reticular activating system either from or to the limbic system and the thalamus, which serve as the switchboard to determine what to do with the incoming messages.
• The hypothalamus is also activated, and at the same time it activates the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system through messages sent via nerves or substances released into the blood stream.
• The sexual response cycle - is the sequence of physiological and psychological reactions as a result of sexual arousal.
• The research of William Masters and Virginia Johnson in 1966 has led to an understanding of the regular pattern in the four phases of human sexual response. This is included in this book to understand the general sexual response pattern though it can vary because of individual differences. When young people are well informed and guided, they can make wise and responsible decisions. Self-control is the key to avoid sexual problems.
• Phases of the Sexual Response Cycle

  1. Excitement Phase
  2. Plateau Phase
  3. Orgasm Phase
  4. Resolution Phase
• Excitement Phase - Sexual stimuli lead to changes in the body of women and men. The phase includes increased heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle tension.
• Plateau Phase - Excitement becomes enhanced, and the body is prepared for orgasm. Heart rate quickens, blood pressure rises, muscle increases, and breathing becomes faster.
• Orgasm Phase - also known as the "climax or peak" of the sexual excitement. Heart rate increases dramatically, blood pressure rises, breathing becomes rapid and shallow, muscles throughout the body contract, and perspiration is evident. There is an intense, pleasant, or pleasurable psychological feeling associated with the release of sexual tension afforded by orgasm in this stage.
• Resolution Phase - the last stage of sexual arousal. This leads to the return of the unaroused state. Heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing return to a normal state, and muscle tension decreases.
• Repression - This means denying one's sexual energies and pushing it to the unconscious. () is unhealthy because one is unable to express one's natural sexuality.