UTS UNPACKING THE SELF

• Self-esteem


  How you value yourself and how you feel others value you, important for mental health and behaviour
• Body image


  How you view your physical body, whether you feel you are attractive, and how you feel other people like your looks
• Self-esteem was coined by William James in 1800
• A self-image problem happens when your looks do not match your beauty standards
• The problem is with your own beauty standards and not with your looks. To have a positive self-image and a higher self-esteem you must fix your false beliefs about physical attractiveness first
• Self-love


  Respecting and appreciating every single part of who you are, and being proud to be you
• Puberty


  The stage of development at which individuals become sexually mature, with different outcomes for boys and girls but a similar hormonal process
• Stages of puberty


  • 5 stages
• Erogenous zones


  Regions of the body that produce a heightened sensation of pleasure when stimulated
• Nonspecific erogenous zones


  Similar to any other portion of the usual haired skin, with the nerves supplying it composed of the usual density of dermal-nerve networks and hair-follicle networks, where the pleasurable sensation felt is simply an exaggerated form of tickle
• Specific erogenous zones


  Found in the mucocutaneous regions of the body or those regions made both of mucous membrane and of cutaneous skin, favoring acute perception, including the genital regions, lips, and nipples
• Prepuce


  The retractable fold of skin covering the tip of the penis (foreskin) or a similar fold of skin covering the tip of the clitoris
• Female external genitalia (Vulva)

  • Mons pubis
  • Clitoris
  • Labia majora
  • Labia minora
  • Vaginal introitus
  • Hymen
  • Perianal skin
• Lips


  Soft, movable, and serve as the opening for food intake and in the articulation of sound and speech, can be an erogenous zone when used in kissing and other acts of intimacy
• Nipples


  The raised region of tissue on the surface of the breast, with the sensation from the nipples travelling to the same part of the brain as sensations from the vagina, clitoris, and cervix
• Sexual response cycle


  The sequence of physical and emotional occurrences when the person is participating in a sexually stimulating activity such as intercourse or masturbation
• Phases of the sexual response cycle

  • Excitement
  • Plateau
  • Orgasm
  • Resolution
• Refractory period


  The recovery time after orgasm that men need before they can experience another orgasm, with the length varying among men and their age
• Role of the brain in sexual activity

  Translating nerve impulses sensed by the skin into pleasurable sensations, controlling the nerves and muscles used in sexual activities, with sexual thoughts and fantasies theorized to lie in the cerebral cortex and emotions/feelings believed to originate in the limbic system
• Hypothalamus


  The most important part of the brain for sexual functioning, with several groups of nerve-cell bodies that receive input from the limbic system and its relation to the pituitary gland
• Oxytocin


  Also known as the "love hormone", believed to be involved in our desire to maintain close relationships, released during sexual intercourse when orgasm is achieved
• Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)


  Responsible for ovulation in females, with sexual activity found to be more frequent during a woman's fertile time
• Luteinizing hormone (LH)


  Crucial for regulating the testes in men and ovaries in women, with testosterone in males being a major contributing factor to sexual motivation
• Vasopressin


  Involved in the male arousal phase, with the increase during erectile response believed to be directly associated with increased motivation to engage in sexual behavior
• Estrogen and progesterone


  Typically regulate motivation to engage in sexual behavior for females, with estrogen increasing motivation and progesterone decreasing it
• Lust (Erotic passion)


  Marked by physical attraction, driven by testosterone in men and estrogen in women, but does not guarantee lasting love
• Attraction (romantic passion)


  Triggered by norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin, creating a sense of novelty, excitement, and energetic desire for the partner
• Attachment (commitment)


  Involves the desire to have lasting commitment with a significant other, potentially leading to marriage
• Romantic passion


  At this stage, you begin to crave for your partner's presence. You feel excitement and energetic as you fantasize about the things you could do together as a couple.
• Chemicals that trigger romantic passion

  • Norepinephrine
  • Dopamine
  • Serotonin
• Norepinephrine


  Responsible for the extra surge of energy and triggers increased heart rate, loss of appetite, as well as the desire to sleep. Your body is in a more alert state and is ready for action.
• Dopamine


  Associated with motivation and goal directed behavior. It makes you pursue your object of affection. 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.
• Serotonin


  Thought to cause obsessive thinking. Low levels of serotonin are said to be present in people with obsessive-compulsive behavior (OCD). Meanwhile, a study found that those who expressed they were in love and people with OCD 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.
• Attachment (commitment)


  Attachment involves the desire to have lasting commitment with your significant other. At this point, you may want to get married and/or have children.
• Sexual desire


  The subjective feeling of wanting to engage in sex.
• Sexual desire is sometimes, but not always, accompanied by genital arousal (penile erection in men and vaginal lubrication in women).
• Sex drive


  A basic, biologically mediated motivation to seek sexual activity or sexual gratification.
• Sexual desire


  A more complex psychological experience that is not dependent on hormonal factors.
• Gender differences on sexual desire

  • Women place great emphasis on interpersonal relationships as part of the experience
  • Males enjoy a more casual sexual behavior
• Factors that influence gender differences on sexual desire

  • Culture
  • Social environment
  • Political situations