Unit 2 - Unpacking The Self: Development of Primary and Secondary Sexual Characteristics

UNIT 2– UNPACKING THE SELF
Topic 2: THE SEXUAL SELF
TOPIC 1: THE SEXUAL SELF
• Sexual self-concept refers to the totality of yourself as a sexual being, including positive and
negative concepts and feelings
Human beings are sexual beings. Whether we admit it or not, we are physically designed to feel sexual
sensations because in our bodies are different erogenous zones. This however is realized only at puberty
or at the time we become sexually mature. You have to take note of the difference
DEVELOPMENT OF PRIMARY
AND SECONDARY SEXUAL
CHARACTERISTICS
During sexual maturation (puberty growth

spurt), there are two important physical
changes that occur in your body as you
transition from being a child to that of being an
adult: development of the primary sexual
characteristics and development of the
secondary sexual characteristics.
EROGENOUS ZONES OF THE HUMAN BODY
These body parts are known as erogenous zones –
sensitive areas on the body that cause sexual arousal
when they are touched (Merriam-Webster).
Your awareness of these body parts will lead
you to being responsible – as to know your limits
and capabilities, and will give you control
over your desires and sexual urges.
UNDERSTANDING THE
HUMAN SEXUAL RESPONSE
What turns you on? What attracts you the most? Are you aware of your body’s reaction whenever you
see intimate scenes in movies, videos, television shows, or in advertisements or books that you happen
to see or read?
The body reacts when something is perceived to be sexually pleasurable. All human beings have desires.
Desiring for somebody is normal, and it leads to sexual intimacy that may lead to sexual reproduction.
As sexual beings, humans have desires for sexual pleasure and satisfaction.
Desire and sexuality cannot be separated. Libido is a person's overall sexual drive or desire for sexual
activity.
THE HUMAN SEXUAL RESPONSE CYCLE

The Brain – Its Role and Function in the Human Sexual Response
Our brains are involved in all steps of sexual behavior and in all its variations,
from feelings of sexual desire and partner choice, to arousal, orgasm and
even post-coital cuddling (Clark, 2014). The brain impacts the sequence of
physical and emotional changes that occur as a person participates in sexually stimulating activities
(Wiley, 2015).
The brain stem: The evolutionarily oldest structure; controls primitive responses
associated with sexual behaviour and facial expressions; contains circuits for
many emotions, including love/attachment, joy, and sexual excitement (Lewis,
2005).
The hypothalamus: It controls most body systems by regulating the production

of hormones in response to both internal and environmental events; it controls the pituitary gland,
which is the master gland that controls all the other endocrine glands in the body; the hypothalamus
plays a key role in connecting the endocrine system with the nervous system.
The limbic system, a region of the brain associated with emotion and
motivation, is important in human sexual function. Key structures, shaded
in color, include the cingulate gyrus, portions of the hypothalamus,
amygdala, and the hippocampus. It contains the:
Amygdala – helps generate associations between experiences and
emotions
Hippocampus – located near the amygdala, it plays an important role in organizing and storing
memories for events.
The cerebral cortex: referred to as the neocortex (neo means “new”, a relative
latecomer, evolutionarily speaking (MacLean, 1990). It is the outermost layer of
the brain; its function is responsible for thinking and processing information
from the five senses. The cortex is divided into four different lobes:
frontal lobe – for cognitive functions and control of voluntary
movement/activity
parietal lobe – processes information about temperature, taste, touch and movement
temporal lobe – processes memories, integrating them with sensations of taste, sound, sight and touch
occipital lobe – primarily responsible for vision
Ways of Dealing with Sexual Energies

Sexual energy is a life-energy. Your sexual impulses have the power to influence so much of what you
do, how you act, and the choices that you make.
Repression – involves keeping certain thoughts, feelings, or urges out of conscious awareness. The goal
of this is to keep unacceptable desires or thoughts out of the conscious mind in order to prevent or
minimize feelings of anxiety.
Suppression – the person consciously and deliberately pushes down any thoughts that leads to feelings
of anxiety.
Sublimation - allows us to act out unacceptable impulses by converting these behaviors into a more
acceptable form.
Genital satisfaction – giving in to one’s sexual desires through sexual gratification; it includes sexual
intercourse – the likes of premarital sex, marital sex, and extramarital sex.
Integration – integrate one’s sexual energies into friendships, marriage, vocation, and all levels of
relationships.
THE CHEMISTRY OF LOVE: THE SCIENCE BEHIND

LUST, ATTRACTION, AND COMPANIONSHIP
According to anthropology professor Helen Fisher, there are three
stages of falling in love. In each stage, different brain chemicals
influence your brain chemistry - the neurotransmitters that get you all
excited and the hormones that
1. Lust - driven by the desire for sexual gratification; evolutionary

basis for this is our need to reproduce; through reproduction, organisms pass on their genes, and thus
contribute to the perpetuation of their species. The hypothalamus of the brain plays a big role by
stimulating the production of the sex hormones:
• Testosterone – from the testes; being “male”; increases libido
• Estrogen – from the ovaries; being “female”; increases sexual motivation in women
during ovulation (peak of estrogen production)
2. Attraction (Falling in love) – involves romantic or passionate love, characterized by euphoria; physical
symptoms of falling in love include loss of appetite, inability to sleep, lack of concentration, wet palms,
and butterflies in the stomach. These symptoms are caused by surging brain chemicals called
monoamines:
• Dopamine - produced by the hypothalamus, released when we do things that feel good to us
like spending time with loved ones and having sex.
• Norepinephrine – high dosage are released during attraction; these chemicals make us giddy,
energetic, and euphoric, even leading to decreased appetite and insomnia; also known as
noradrenalin, it plays a large role in the “fight or flight” response, which kicks into high gear
when we’re stressed and keeps us alert.
• Phenylethylamine – a natural amphetamine; gives the feeling of being on-top-of-the-world that
attraction can bring; and gives the energy to stay up day and night when in love.
• Serotonin – a hormone that’s known to be involved in appetite and mood; this gives the
overpowering infatuation that characterizes the beginning stages of love.
3. Attachment (Staying together) - the predominant factor in long-term relationships. While lust and
attraction are pretty much exclusive to romantic entanglements, attachment mediates friendships,
parent-infant bonding, social cordiality, and many other intimacies as well.
• The tHREE primary hormones here appear to be
• Oxytocin - often nicknamed as “cuddle hormone”; it is produced by the hypothalamus
and released in large quantities during sex (peaks during orgasm), breastfeeding, and
childbirth, all of these events are precursors to bonding.
• Vasopressin – also called the “monogamy chemical”; researchers have found out that
suppression of vasopressin
can cause male prairie voles
to neglect their partners and not fight off other male voles who try to mate with their
partners.
• Endorphins - are chemicals produced naturally by the nervous system to cope with pain
or stress; are often called "feel-good" chemicals because they can act as a pain reliever
and happiness booster.
• Lust - driven by the desire for sexual gratification; evolutionary basis for this is our need to
reproduce; through reproduction, organisms pass on their genes, and thus contribute to the
perpetuation of their species. The hypothalamus of the brain plays a big role by stimulating the
production of the sex hormones:
• Testosterone – from the testes; being “male”; increases libido
• Estrogen – from the ovaries; being “female”; increases sexual motivation in women
during ovulation (peak of estrogen production)
DIVERSITY OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR

Gender and sexual diversity (GSD), or simply sexual diversity, refers to all the diversities of sex
characteristics, sexual orientations and gender identities, without the need to specify each of the
identities, behaviors, or characteristics that form this plurality.
Sexual Orientation
a. Heterosexuals - sexually attracted to people of the opposite sex; commonly referred to as
straight;
b. Homosexuals - sexually attracted to people of their own sex; gay or lesbian;
c. Bisexuals - sexually attracted not exclusively to people of one particular gender; attracted to
both men and women;
Gender identity
a. Transgender - denoting or relating to a person whose sense of personal identity and gender
does not correspond with their birth sex;

b. Cisgender - denoting or relating to a person whose sense of personal identity and gender
corresponds with their birth sex;
Related minorities – intersex, gathered under the acronyms:

LGBT or LGBTI – lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/transsexual people, and sometimes intersex
people

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UNIT 2– UNPACKING THE SELF

Topic 2: THE SEXUAL SELF

TOPIC 1: THE SEXUAL SELF

AND SECONDARY SEXUAL

During sexual maturation (puberty growth

THE HUMAN SEXUAL RESPONSE CYCLE

The hypothalamus: It controls most body systems by regulating the production

Ways of Dealing with Sexual Energies

THE CHEMISTRY OF LOVE: THE SCIENCE BEHIND

1. Lust - driven by the desire for sexual gratification; evolutionary

DIVERSITY OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR

Related minorities – intersex, gathered under the acronyms:

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