Of Relapse in Sex Offenders

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Of Relapse in Sex Offenders If you have issues viewing or accessing this file contact us at NCJRS.gov. ! • ., " PREVENTION OF RELAPSE IN • SEX OFFENDERS • D. Richard Laws, Ph.D. Project No.1 R01 MH42035 • National Institute of Mental Health • 102319 • U.S. Oepartment of Justice Nalionallnstltute of Justice This document has been reproduced exaclly as received from the person or organization originating it. Points of view or opinions stated In this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the National Institute of Justice. Permission to reproduce this o~JTigMed material has been • granted by Public Domain National Institute of Mental Health to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS). Further reproduction outside of the NCJRS system requires permis­ • sion of th~l:lt owner. PREVENTION I OF RELAPSE IN • SEX OFFENDERS ~~ ..". • • • • D. Richard Laws, Ph.D. • Project No. 1 RO 1 MH42035 National Institute of Mental Health • • • • Table of·Contents Research Plan General ov~rview of the research ................................ l Specific aims •••• "' •• ,,"" '1"" .. ""."""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""",,.1 Preliminary studies""." '" " " .. " " .. " fI " " " " " " " • " " " " " " " " " • " " " • " " " " " " " " " " 3 Physiological assessment procedures ........................ 9 • Self-report assessment procedures ......................... 14 Behavioral treatment procedures .............•............. 23 Cognitive treatment procedures .....................•...... 30 Methods I. Participants and admission criteria ..............•... 40 II. Apparatus."""."" .. """"" .. """""""",,.,,"""""""""""",, .. ,,"" .41 • III. Procedure.""""".""" .. "" .. ,,"""""",, ... ,,"""""""""""""""""" .43 A. Design. " " " " " " . " " " . " . " " . " " . " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " ,,43 B. Staff training."""""""""""""""""""."""",,.,, .46 C. Behavioral and psychological assessment" .• " " " " " " " " •. " " " " " " " " " " • " " " " " . " " ,,50 Between-group outcome measures ........ 52 D. Treatment effectiveness ................•... 56 • Treatment integrity ................... 62 E. A theoretical model of sex offense prevention: Assessment ..•.................. 65 F. A theoretical model of sex offense prevention: Treatment ...................... 76 G. Prevention of relapse in sex • offenders ............. " " .... " ............. " " " " .... " .. " .. " " " " " "86 H. Prediction of reoffense .•.................. 97 I. Long-term follow up ..•..•................. 100 IV. Statistical analysis of data ..........•.............. lOl V. Human subjects.""""" ... """"""".,,,,,,;,,,,,,,,,, .. ,, .... ,, .. ,, ............... 106 • Appendices I. References ............................ _ ............... 110 II. Figures, informed consents, predictor scale • • I ~~_... r t: • . ...... ........ ..,. .. I,. • • • General Overview of the Research There is no comprehensive and testable theory of sexual deviance in the psychological literature. What we have instead are personality-based or trait accounts of various types of sex offenders, speculative typologies used to separate subvarieties of offenders, or isolated descriptions of experiential factors or single processes of learning • which are said to contribute to a sexually deviant orientation. All of these, while useful to a limited degree, are ultimately unsatisfactory. There has been little or no effort to gather together what is known empirically and theoretically into a single explanatory system to account for the genesis and modification of sexual • deviance. Our contention is that sufficient, if not abundant, information presently exists to make the initial steps toward such a comprehensive theory. This program statement is our contribution to that process. The theory statement proposed herein is intended to serve only as the guiding framework for a series of evaluative and therapeutic operations intended to bring • sexually deviant behavior under control and then prevent relapse in treated outpatient sex offenders. The empirical/ theoretical paradigm we propose is a learning model with its roots in conditionin0 theory and social learning theory. The theoretical statement is deductive, reasoning from general principles about human behavior, to specific propositions about human sexual behavior in general or • deviant sexual behavior in particular, to specific hypotheses about sexual deviants. The theory is intended to comprehend how deviant behavior is acquired, how it may be modified, and how its recurrence may be prevented. The model is potentially applicable to any sexual deviation. The major advantage of having such a guiding theory is that it clearly defines its goals and explicitly specifies a • set of operations for forthrightly dealing with a pervasive social problem. The theory is parsimonious, employs the smallest number of empirical and theoretical assumptions for support, makes assertions which are grounded in observable events, and proposes hypotheses which are falsifiable. This potential for disconfirmation is essential in that it • provides a corrective feedback function which demands revision of the theory statements as experience accumulates. Specific Aims The intent of this program is to evaluate, treat, and prevent relapse in a group of outpatient sex offenders seen • in a community-based setting. The program is guided by the specific assertions of a theoretical statement which describes (1) how deviant sexual behaviors are originally acquired, (2) how, once acquired, deviant behavior is sustained in the face of more appropriate alternatives, (3) how deviant behavior, its accompanying social styles and • • 2 deviant cognitions can be altered, and (4) how those changes can be maintained, i.e., relapse prevented. • The following are the primary aims of the program: 1. An examination of the explanatory adequacy of the first half of the theoretical·model. The first, two sections of the theory, acquisition and maintenance of··deviant , • behavior, describe the influence of~conditioning and social learning experiences' on sexual and social development. By means of a lengthy self-report instrument, offenders will retrospectively report on the relative importance of these factors. Data so obtained cannot be used to directly sUbstantiate the theoretical statements, and it is recognized that a proper test of the theory's assertions • would be a longitudinal study. However, the accumulation of retrospective data is considered here the initial investigatory step necessary for formulating the thrust that such a longitudinal study should take. 2. A test of the practical utility of the second half of the theoretical model. a. The third section of the theory describes the • modification of deviant sexual responsiveness by use of behavior therapy techniques, and the modification of deviant cognitions by rational-emotive therapy. We will determine here if a modest but directive package can substantially bring major features of deviant behavior under control. b. The fourth section of the theory, relapse prevention (short-term) is intended to follow and reinforce • the basic treatment. Here we use stress inoculation, a cognitive-behavior therapy, to teach impulse control and anger management in crisis situations. The phase closes with clients being taught the rudiments of the individualized relapse prevention procedures. 3. The final section of the theory, relapse prevention (long-term) is the key element of the program and will be • implemented as a long term follow up period. Unlike most follow up programs for sex offenders, we require a high level of participation by the client in a very long and interventionistic program. • • • • 3 • preliminary Studies Introduction. Two of the major dependent variables in this program are the response of penile erection and subject self-report. Both of these measures periodically come under attack by critics as being open to subject influence, the latter more often than the former. It is therefore necessary to briefly review what is known about the nature • and extent of these purported problems. Sexual arousal assessment. Of the potentially relevant physiological responses, that of penile erection has repeatedly been demonstrated to be the single best index of male sexual arousal (Abel, 1976; Bancroft & Mathews, 1971; Barlow, 1977; Freund, 1963; Masters & Johnson, 1966; Rosen & Keefe, 1978; Rosen & Rosen, 1981; Zuckerman, 1971). The • response is highly specific, occurring in the presence of sexual stimuli and not in the presence of nonsexual stimuli. When the erection response has been measured concurrently with other possibly relevant physiological variables (e.g., Bancroft & Mathews, 1971), it has been the only one which was discriminative of sexual arousal. It is therefore the • best available dependent variable for our purposes. Physiological assessment of sexual arousal is now a commonly accepted procedure. Sexual arousal is assessed by means of a device called a penile transducer, a very small unit which the subject wears around his penis. The device can detect changes in the circumference of the penis, and these are expressed as changes in electrical resistance. These minute resistance changes are amplified, converted, and finally shown most commonly as a pen tracing of the response or a periodic digital readout (LEDs) or printout. Since the response has absolute 0% and 100% limits, intermediate values may conveniently be described as some percentage of the maximum response, e.g., 55% of a full erection. All
Recommended publications
  • Interactive Toolkit
    Please download this PDF to your device and then open it using Adobe Reader. Depending on your browser, if you try to navigate through it in this browser window now, you may or may not have functionality due to browser variability. Click to start 2015 TOOLKIT Sex in the Military Toolkit: The Other Invisible Wounds RESEARCH OVERVIEW VIDEO VIGNETTES ACTIVITY HELP ATTENTION: Before proceeding, be sure you are using the most recent version of Adobe Reader to ensure you can access the videos and all functionality of this interactive toolkit. (Version 9.0 or above required) Please update your browser, as well if you are having difficulties. This course is most efficiently used on a desktop device. Mobile and tablet devices may not be fully supported. Thank you. Sex in the Military Toolkit: The Other Invisible Wounds RESEARCH OVERVIEW VIDEO VIGNETTES ACTIVITY HELP WELCOME BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROVIDER! The Center for Innovation and Research on Students in an undergraduate or graduate Veterans & Military Families (CIR) of the social work or other behavioral health University of Southern California School of degree program are a secondary audience. Social Work is dedicated to strengthening the These materials are designed to be transition of veterans and their families into readily used by faculty in such academic the community. An important facet of this programs, and integrated with other transition involves the intimate relationship educational materials. and the integration of the service member back into family life. CIR developed this Focus. While sexual functioning toolkit to help behavioral health practitioners problems can occur in both military and address some of the sexual and intimate civilian populations, this toolkit focuses on relationship challenges that injured service the unique features within the military that members, veterans, and their spouse/partner can impact sexual functioning.
    [Show full text]
  • Pornography, Law and Moral Theory
    PORNOGRAPHY, LAW AND MORAL THEORY Joel Bakan* 1. INTRODUCTION It is always important to remember that law is not an end in itself, but rather a means of realizing certain values. This becomes especially apparent when we are faced with the problem of creating laws in an area in which there is considerable conflict between competing values. Pornography is such an area. Liberals, legal moralists (conservatives) and feminists all appear to agree that, in certain circumstances, restrictions on pornography are justified, but they vehemently disagree as to why and in what circumstances such restrictions are justified. Liberals argue that restrict- ing pornography means curtailing freedom of expression and the right to individual liberty, and that such restrictions are only justified where the exercise of these rights and freedoms can be shown to cause harm to individuals. Legal moralists, on the other hand, argue that restrictions on pornography are necessary even where no harm to individuals can be shown. Pornography, they claim, is immoral, and the law must protect society from breaches of its moral standards. Feminists are not concerned with the moral or immoral nature of pornography, but with the harm that pornography causes to individual women. In this sense the feminist position is consistent with liberal theory, although there is a reluctance on the part of many liberals to recognize this. This article will investigate the problem of legal restrictions on pornography in the context of moral theory. A brief discussion of the two major moral theories that inform the pornography debate, liberalism and legal moralism, will be followed by a discussion of Canadian obscenity law in terms of its moral foundations.
    [Show full text]
  • Playing by Pornography's Rules: the Regulation of Sexual Expression
    PLAYING BY PORNOGRAPHY'S RULES: THE REGULATION OF SEXUAL EXPRESSION DAVID COLEt INTRODUCTION Sometimes a sentence is worth a thousand words. In 1964, as the Supreme Court stumbled toward a constitutional approach to obscenity, Justice Potter Stewart suggested that only "hard-core pornography" should be suppressed.' He admitted that the category may be incapable of "intelligibl[e]" definition, but 2 nonetheless confidently asserted, "I know it when I see it." Justice Stewart's sentence captures the essence of the Court's sexual expression jurisprudence, which rests more on the assertion of distinctions than on reasoned analysis. For many years, the Court, unable to agree upon a doctrinal framework for obscenity regulation, simply ruled by per curiam judgments, without offering any explanation for what it was doing.' When the Court did attempt to explain its actions, some suggested that it would have been better off maintaining its silence.' The Court has now put forward a set of doctrinal "rules" that in the end do little more than obscure what is basically Stewart's intuitive approach. In defining obscenity, the Court has advanced an incoherent formula that requires the application of "community t Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center. I would like to thank Craig Bloom, Adam Breznick, Anne Dailey, Jonathan Elmer, Bill Eskridge, Cindy Estlund, Marjorie Heins, Ellen Hertz, Sam Issacharoff, Jules Lobel, Carlin Meyer, David Myers, Dan Ortiz, Gary Peller, Nina Pillard, Larry Rosen, Mike Seidman, Nomi Stolzenberg, Nadine Strossen, Mark Tushnet, Suzanne Underwald, and Franz Werro for their helpful comments and suggestions on various drafts. I was or am counsel for plaintiffs in Finley v.
    [Show full text]
  • The New Sex Worker in American Popular Culture, 2006-2016
    BEYOND THE MARKED WOMAN: THE NEW SEX WORKER IN AMERICAN POPULAR CULTURE, 2006-2016 By Lauren Kirshner Bachelor of Education, University of Toronto, 2009 Master of Arts, University of Toronto, 2007 Honours Bachelor of Arts, University of Toronto, 2005 A dissertation presented to Ryerson University and York University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the joint program of Communication and Culture Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2019 © Lauren Kirshner, 2019 AUTHOR’S DECLARATION FOR ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF A DISSERTATION I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this dissertation. This is a true copy of the dissertation, including any required final revision, as required by my examiners. I authorize Ryerson University to lend this dissertation to other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. I further authorize Ryerson University to lend this dissertation by photocopying or by other means, in total or in part, at the request of other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. I understand that my dissertation may be made electronically available to the public. ii BEYOND THE MARKED WOMAN: THE NEW SEX WORKER IN AMERICAN POPULAR CULTURE, 2006-2016 Doctor of Philosophy 2019 Lauren Kirshner Communication and Culture, Ryerson University and York University This dissertation argues that between 2006 and 2016, in a context of rising tolerance for sex workers, economic shifts under neoliberal capitalism, and the normalization of transactional intimate labour, popular culture began to offer new and humanizing images of the sex worker as an entrepreneur and care worker. This new popular culture legitimatizes sex workers in a growing services industry and carries important de-stigmatizing messages about sex workers, who continue to be among the most stigmatized of women workers in the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Downloaded by [New York University] at 04:00 12 August 2016 a CLINICIAN’S GUIDE to SYSTEMIC SEX THERAPY
    Downloaded by [New York University] at 04:00 12 August 2016 A CLINICIAN’S GUIDE TO SYSTEMIC SEX THERAPY The second edition of A Clinician’s Guide to Systemic Sex Therapy has been com- pletely revised, updated, and expanded. This volume is written for beginning psychotherapy practitioners in order to guide them through the complexities of sex therapy and help them to be more effi cient in their treatment. The authors offer a unique theoretical approach to understanding and treating sexual prob- lems from a systemic perspective, incorporating the multifaceted perspectives of the individual client, the couple, the family, and the other contextual factors. Both beginning and experienced sex/relationship therapists will broaden their perspectives with the Intersystem approach and gain information rarely seen in sex therapy texts such as: how to thoroughly assess each sexual disor- der, the implementation of various treatment principles and techniques, how to incorporate homework, dealing with ethical dilemmas, understanding dif- ferent expressions of sexual behavior, and addressing the impact of medical problems on sexuality. Aside from bringing the diagnostic criteria up-to-date with the DSM 5, this new edition contains a new chapter on sensate focus, an expanded section on assessment, more information about development across the lifespan, and more focus on diversity issues throughout the text. Gerald R. Weeks, PhD, APBB, CST, is a certifi ed sex therapist with 30 years of practice experience and is a professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He is among a handful of individuals to be given the “Outstanding Contribution to Mar- riage and Family Therapy” award in 2009 from the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy, and was named the “2010 Family Psychologist of the Year.” He has published over 20 books in the fi elds of individual, couple, family, and sex therapy.
    [Show full text]
  • BEYOND DECRIMINALIZATION: Sex Work, Human Rights and a New Framework for Law Reform
    BEYOND DECRIMINALIZATION: Sex Work, Human Rights and a New Framework for Law Reform BEYOND DECRIMINALIZATION: Sex Work, Human Rights and a New Framework for Law Reform Full Report PIVOT LEGAL SOCIETY Danica Piche photo. List of contributors Authors Dedication Creative content Mary Childs, Sarah Ciarrocchi, Cristen To all the people who gave their time, Barry Calhoun, Brad Hornick, Tracie Gleeson, John Lowman, Katrina Pacey, energy and expertise to this important Park, Danica Piche, Paul Ryan, Jaya Francois Paradis, Danica Piche, Emily project. In particular, to the inspiring Surjadinata, Peter Wrinch. Rix, Elaine Ryan, Elin Sigurdson, group of sex workers who courageously Krista Sigurdson, Laura Track, Maia spoke out about the conditions of their Images on covers and headers Tsurumi, Megan Vis-Dunbar, Lisa work and their lives and contributed Barry Calhoun. Weich. their knowledge, insight and vision for law and social reform. Funders Contributors Law Foundation of B.C., Rielle Capler, Kelly Crowe, Debbie, Acknowledgements Law Commission of Canada, Caily DiPuma, Elisabeth Finney, All the staff at Pivot Legal Society, Canadian Bar Association. Lauren Gehlen, Stacey Grayer, Asian Society for the Intervention of Ashleigh Keall, Thomas Kerr, DJ, Jeff AIDS (ASIA), Boys ‘R’ Us, Downtown Pivot Legal Society Langlois, Laurie, Joel Lemoyre, Chris Eastside Women’s Centre, Lifeskills PO Box 4438 STN Terminal Misura, John Richardson, Shari, Julie Centre, ORCHID Project, Portland Vancouver, B.C. V6B 3Z8 Shugarman. Hotel Society and the Potluck Cafe, Prostitutes Empowerment Education Copyright Pivot Legal Society Editors and Resource Society (PEERS), June 006 Naomi Brunemeyer, Karen Mirsky, Prostitution Alternatives Counselling Sean Rossiter. and Education Society (PACE), Sex To view a pdf of the Abridged Version Workers Action Network (SWAN), the of Beyond Decriminalization, go to Legal reviewers Gathering Place, Women’s Information www.pivotlegal.org Carolyn Askew, Kate Blomfield, Kelley and Safe House (WISH).
    [Show full text]
  • Gypsies Tramps and Theives Final
    i Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves: The Contrapuntal Rantings of a Halfbreed Girl by Allyson K. Anderson A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of The University of Manitoba in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Native Studies University of Manitoba Winnipeg Copyright © 2019 by Allyson Anderson ii Abstract This thesis investigates issues of representation and the social identity of the colonized by conducting a textual analysis of a fictive social construct that I dub the halfbreed girl, and of the ways in which selected metisse writers, poets, artists and performers respond to that stereotype in their respective works. Using methodologies in literature and the visual/performing arts, this thesis interrogates matters of social process: specifically, settler-colonialism’s discursive management of the social identities – in effect, the social place – of metis women, and how metis women negotiate this highly raced and gendered identity space. Emphasizing Canadian contexts, the images examined are drawn from North American settler-colonial pop-culture texts produced in the late nineteenth- through the early twenty-first centuries; the metisse responses to them are gathered from the same time period. The thesis includes American-produced images of the halfbreed girl due to the historic relationship between the two nations and the significant consumption of mass-produced American pop-culture media by Canadians – historically and currently. The first tier of the study demonstrates how the figure of the halfbreed girl is rendered abject through textual strategies that situate her at the intersection of the dichotomies, civilization/savagery and Madonna/whore, generating the racialized Princess/squaw polemic.
    [Show full text]
  • Sex Workers Who Provide Services to Clients with Disability
    1 Sex workers who provide services to clients with disability in New South Wales, Australia by Rachel Wotton Thesis Submitted in Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Philosophy (Medicine) By Research University of Sydney September 2016 2 Candidate’s Statement 3 Acknowledgments I would like to acknowledge a number of people who have given me their ongoing support, guidance and faith in my ability to deliver this final dissertation. My former supervisors, Dr. Russell Shuttleworth and Ms. Alison Arnot-Bradshaw. My ongoing supervisor Dr. Patricia Weerakoon who has supported me throughout this journey. Prof. Emeritus Trevor Parmenter who so graciously agreed to become my primary supervisor in my last year, going above and beyond to assist with the transfer to the Medical Faculty. Julie Cameron, at the Faculty of Health Sciences, who patiently jumped through all privacy and administrative hoops Survey Monkey created so that I could regain access to my raw data. John Paul Cenzato, for excelling in your role as librarian Amanda Reid who has been such a calming and supportive influence. Your guidance throughout the whole writing process with editing, suggestions and encouragement has been incalculable. Saul Isbister who, along with your amazing editing skills, has always believed in my ability to complete this. Your support and friendship is invaluable to me. Julie Bates, Liz Emrys and Kylie Maxwell for your encouragement, friendship and support. Natalie Hamam for giving me renewed inspiration. See you at the next graduation! Z.H. who has given me love and support throughout. I’d also like to thank all of my fantastic clients, who continue to choose to spend time with me.
    [Show full text]
  • Perspectives on Sexuality After TBI Exploring Sexuality As an Important Part of Recovery and Improved Quality of Life
    WINTER 2017 Volume XIV No. 1 For and about the brain injury and spinal cord injury community. Rainbow Rehabilitation Centers, Inc. RAINBOWrainbowrehab.comVISIONS Perspectives on Sexuality after TBI Exploring sexuality as an important part of recovery and improved quality of life • INSIDE TBI Model Systems Addressing Sex and Relationships in Residential Care Facilitating Sexual Expression Sexual Surrogacy Sex and Decision Making • PRESIDENT'S CORNER Dignity of Risk By Bill Buccalo, President Rainbow Rehabilitation Centers n this edition of RainbowVisions, we explore the client safe and supported? What are the biases and beliefs Iimportant issue of sexual expression for individuals who of the organization, caregivers and therapists, and how do have sustained brain injury. Sexual dysfunction following we ensure those biases do not reflect in the treatment in brain injury is a significant problem, not unlike many of a way that conflicts with the individual’s personal choice? the commonly discussed consequences such as seizure What if the person’s choice is a bad choice? Will it result in disorders, cognitive problems, depression, psychosocial, harm, or is it just a bad choice, but their choice? or physical conditions. However, clinical professionals Additionally, health care organizations are generally argue that the rehabilitation community could do a better regulated entities and must follow certain laws which job of talking about, educating, treating and supporting typically establish standards of care and protection individuals with brain injury to address their need for requirements. Guardians providing support to individuals sexual expression. have certain rules and responsibilities they must follow When reading the articles in this issue, I cannot help and judgements they must make on behalf of the person but think about the concept of “Dignity of Risk” which represented.
    [Show full text]
  • The ULTIMATE BETRAYAL
    24 April 2007 -- L’Association québécoise Plaidoyer-Victimes –Montréal The ULTIMATE BETRAYAL GARY R. SCHOENER ...with purity and holiness I will practice my art…Into whatever house I enter I will go into them for the benefit of the sick and will abstain from every Voluntary act of Mischief and Corruption and further from the seduction of Females or males, of freemen and slaves These words, authored between the 4th and 3rd centuries BC and titled the “Oath of Hippocrates,” were sworn to by physicians for more than two millennia. This concern about medical professionals misusing their power to sexually exploit patients dates from the earliest days of medicine. In 1784, Louis XVI, the King of France, became concerned about the possibility of physicians misusing the newly discovered technique of mesmerism (later named “hypnosis”) to sexually exploit female patients and appointed a commission to study this risk. Chaired by American Benjamin Franklin, it included famous doctors and scientists, including Lavoisier, the man who discovered oxygen. This Commission concluded that there was such a risk. But Codes of Ethics and the swearing of oaths did not solve this problem and so the history of psychotherapy includes many examples of sexual exploitation of patients. Famed analyst Carl Jung had a romantic involvement with Sabina Spielrein, a young medical student who came to Jung struggling with serious emotional problems and then went on to a brilliant career in psychoanalysis, cut short by her murder by the Nazis on 27 July 1942. During a now famous interchange of letters with Freud, Jung acknowledged his misdeeds, only to have Freud blame Spielrein.
    [Show full text]
  • Psychology of the Sexual Self, and Examined Diversity Issues Regarding How Gender, Race, Ethnicity, Stage of Life, and Sexual Orientation Impact Human Sexuality
    Psychology of the Sexual Self Draft syllabus Semester & Location: Summer 2020 - DIS Stockholm Type & Credits: Core Course - 3 credits Core Course Study Tours: UK Psychology, Sociology Major Disciplines: Related Disciplines: Gender Studies Faculty Members: TBD Program Director: Lars Rossen: [email protected] Time TBD Description of Course Prerequisites: One psychology course at the university level. This course aims to foster critical thinking regarding the self and human sexuality from a psychological perspective. Topics will include sexual development across the lifespan and sexual behavior patterns. The history and diversity of human sexual relationships from mainstream and clinical perspectives, including both medical and psychological treatments, will be considered in a Scandinavian and European context. Contemporary issues such as the influence of the #metoo movement, online pornography, and social media platforms on our thinking and behavior regarding sexuality will be explored. Students will conduct a small research study in which they must incorporate psychological theory to consolidate learning. Learning Objectives By the end of this course, students will be familiar with important concepts in the psychology of human sexuality and will be able to apply them to current issues through lectures, class discussion, and reading assignments. Students will gain a stronger understanding of how scientific principles and standards of evidence apply to the study of individuals/or groups in different cultural contexts with emphasis on issues and problems in human sexuality. This should encompass an enhanced awareness of how we develop individual differences in values, attitudes, and behavior and an increased ability to accept (not necessarily condone) these differences. Students will grow in their understanding of cultural, racial, ethnic, and gender differences in sexuality alongside an increased ability to communicate about sexual topics, terms and concepts.
    [Show full text]
  • A COMPARISON of THEMES FOUND in the SEX and DISABILITY LITURATUE by Stuart Daciuk a Thesis Submitted I
    SEXUALITY AND DISABILITY i SEXUALITY AND DISABILITY: A COMPARISON OF THEMES FOUND IN THE SEX AND DISABILITY LITURATUE By Stuart Daciuk A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Counselling (MC) City University of Seattle APPROVED BY Chris Shelley, PhD, CCC-S, Thesis Supervisor, CityU Vancouver, B.C., Canada Colin Sanders, PhD, RCC, Director of B.C. Master of Counselling Program at CityU Vancouver Division of Arts and Sciences SEXUALITY AND DISABILITY ii ABSTRACT The purpose of this investigation was to explore the issues of people with disabilities regarding their sexual development and sexual expression. This thesis adds to the growing body of literature regarding the sexuality of people with disabilities by highlighting the complexity of accommodating the sexuality of people with disabilities into society. Four major topics are explored: barriers, advocacy, sexual identity, and ethics. The individual sexual experiences of people with disabilities often runs counter to the broad-based assumptions faced by those individuals. SEXUALITY AND DISABILITY iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Without the encouragement and direction of Dr. Christopher Shelley this work would still be unfinished and in poor condition. Chris, your help and support has been a tremendous gift to me. Thank you. I owe many others for their support and help in guiding my development: Yaya de Andrade, Maika Tshimbalanga, Chris Kinman, Avraham Cohen My mother and father My many friends who live with disability And My darling Claire who has been waiting so patiently for me to finish this exercise. SEXUALITY AND DISABILITY iv DEDICATIONS To those determined to value the authenticity and autonomy of those struggling with all forms of sexual oppression.
    [Show full text]