1. Sexuality and the Life Cycle: Childhood and Adolescence
Chapter 9
Sexuality and the Life Cycle: Childhood and Adolescence
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Data Sources
Surveys
Interviews of children
Interviews of adolescents - Kanter and Zelnick
Talking computer interviews
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Infancy (0 to 2 Years)
Self-stimulation - infants have been observed fondling their own genitals.
Infant-infant sexual encounters - may kiss, hug, pat, stroke and gaze at each other.
Nongenital sensual experiences:
Sucking on a mother’s breasts
Sucking on his or her own fingers
Being cuddle or rocked can also be sensuous.
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Infancy (0 to 2 Years)
Attachment - psychological bond that forms between an infant and the mother, father, or other caregiver.
Knowing about boy/girl differences:
At first infants think the difference between girls an boys is a matter of clothes or haircuts.
By age 3 there is increasing interest in the genitals of other children.
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5. Early Childhood (3 to 7 Years)
Masturbation
Learns that masturbation is something that one does in private
Heterosexual behavior
“Playing doctor” can be popular.
Same-gender sexual behavior
Sexual play with members of one’s own gender may be more common than sexual play with members of the other gender.
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6. Early Childhood (3 to 7 Years)
Sex knowledge and interests
Begins to have notion of genital differences between males and females
Enjoys hugging and kissing parents
Becomes more modest at age 5
Restriction on conversation about sex comes at precisely the same time child is becoming more aware of, and curious about, sexuality.
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7. Preadolescence (8 to 12 Years)
Masturbation
More and more children gain experience.
Boys learn from peers and from reading.
Girls learn through accidental self-discovery.
Heterosexual behavior
Very little because of the social division of males and females into separate groups.
Children commonly hear about sexual intercourse for the first time.
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8. Preadolescence (8 to 12 Years)
Same-gender sexual behavior
Social organization is essentially homosocial (boys play separately from girls)
Same-gender sexual activities may involve masturbation, exhibitionism, and fondling of other’s genitals.
Many lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth report their first experience of sexual attraction at age 10 or 11.
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9. Dating and Romantic Relationships
Around ages 10 or 11, children begin to spend time in mixed-gender or heterosocial groups.
The first romantic or sexual behaviors often occur in this context.
Dating emerges in the seventh grade.
Romantic dyadic relationships involve a small percentage of youth.
In some cultures, boys and girls are married at age 13.
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10. Adolescence (13 to 19 Years): Masturbation
According the the Kinsey data, there is a sharp increase in the incidence of masturbation for boys between ages 13 and 15.
Girls also begin masturbating in adolescence, but the increase in behavior is much more gradual and continues past adolescence.
Was once believe to cause everything from warts to insanity, but current attitudes are more positive.
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12. Adolescence (13 to 19 Years)
Same-gender behavior
About 10% of college men and 6% of college women report having had one homosexual partner in high school.
Heterosexual behavior
More and more young people engage in heterosexual sex with more and more frequency.
Over four years, there is a regular progression from kissing, through French kissing and fondling, to intercourse and oral-genital contact.
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Premarital Sex
How many people have premarital intercourse?
70% of females
78% of males
First Intercourse - major transition with psychological and social significance
Fewer men have premarital sex with a prostitute than in the past.
Techniques in premarital sex include increased use of oral-genital contact.
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15. Lower Ages at First Intercourse
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16. Attitudes Toward Premarital Intercourse
Abstinence
Wrong for males and females regardless of the circumstances.
Permissiveness with affection
Permissible for males and females if it occurs in a stable relationship of love, commitment, or being engaged.
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17. Attitudes Toward Premarital Intercourse
Permissiveness without affection
Permissible for males and females, regardless of emotional commitment, simply on the basis of physical attraction.
Double standard
Acceptable for males but not for females.
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Abstinence
In one recent survey, 74 percent of teens ages 15 to 17 said they had “made a conscious decision to wait.”
In some surveys, high intelligence is associated with postponing intercourse and delaying other partnered sexual activities.
Some schools and community-based programs campaign to persuade teens to publicly sign virginity pledges.
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19. Motives for Having Premarital Intercourse
Love
Physical arousal and pleasure
Peer pressure
Women are more likely to mention love and affection.
Men mention physical pleasure.
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20. Dating, Going Steady, Getting Engaged
Dating and going steady occurs at younger ages.
Serial monogamy - while in a relationship, the partners are monogamous; when relationship ends, partners move on to another partner.
Conflicts:
Between restrictive sexual ethic and permissive one
Between parents and children
Between behaviors and attitudes or standards
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21. How Sexuality Aids in Development: Early Childhood
In early childhood there is a crisis between autonomy and shame, and later, between initiative and guilt.
The child who masturbates at age 5 is showing autonomy and initiative, but if parents react by punishing the child, their actions may produce shame and guilt.
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22. How Sexuality Aids in Development: Adolescence and Young Adulthood
Adolescence - crisis between identity and role confusion
Young adulthood - crisis between intimacy and isolation
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