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1 Most people print off a copy of the post test and circle the answers as they read through the materials. Then, you can log in, go to "My Account" and under "Courses I Need to Take" click on the blue "Enter Answers" button. After completing the post test, you can print your certificate. Topics in Human Sexuality: Sexuality Across the Lifespan Adulthood/Male and Female Sexuality Introduction The development of sexuality is a lifelong process that begins in infancy. As we move from infancy to adolescence and adolescence to adulthood, there are many sexual milestones. While adolescent sexuality is a time in which sexual maturation, interest and experience surge, adult sexuality continues to be a time of sexual unfolding. It is during this time that people consolidate their sexual orientation and enter into their first mature, and often long term, sexual relationships. This movement towards mature sexuality also has a number of gender-specific issues as males and females often experience sexuality differently. As people age, these differences are often marked. In addition to young and middle age adults, the elderly are often an overlooked group when it comes to discussion of sexuality. Sexuality, however, continues well into what are often considered the golden years. This course will review the development of sexuality using a lifespan perspective. It will focus on sexuality in adulthood and in the elderly. It will discuss physical and psychological milestones connected with adult sexuality. Educational Objectives 1. Discuss the process of attaining sexual maturity, including milestones 2. Compare and contrast remaining singles, getting married and cohabitating 3. Discuss sexuality in marriage including factors that lead to lack of marital satisfaction 4. Discuss marital or partnered sexuality including frequency of sexual intercourse, common sexual acts, and masturbation patterns 5. Review physical and emotional factors in sex after pregnancy. 6. Discuss infidelity, including statistics, behaviors, and risk factors. 7. Discuss factors related to aging. Milestones in Adult Development As in many cultures, the United States has various norms for sexuality. Adolescence is a time when teens try on many "sexual hats" in order to determine what is sexually pleasing. In the adolescent years, most adolescents are not engaging in partnered sexual behavior; solo masturbation is the most prevalent teenage sexual ce4less.com ce4less.com ce4less.com ce4less.com ce4less.com ce4less.com 2 activity with rates as high at 43% of males and 37% of females (NSSHB, 2010). In early adulthood, people move toward mature, adult sexuality. Hyde and DeLamater (2013) term this a period of sexual unfolding, and include several factors in this process. First is the development of sexual orientation. A 2014 report on sexual orientation and health among U.S. adults published by the Department of Health and Human Services (Ward et al., 2014) Among U.S. adults aged 18 and over, 97.7% identified as straight, 1.6% as gay or lesbian, and 0.7% as bisexual. These distributions differed by both sex and age. A higher percentage of women identified as bisexual, a finding consistent with other documented estimates of sexual orientation. With regard to age, a lower percentage of adults aged 65 and over identified as gay or lesbian (0.7%) or bisexual (0.2%) compared with adults aged 18–44 (gay or lesbian: 1.9%; bisexual: 1.1%) and adults aged 45-64 (gay or lesbian: 1.8%; bisexual: 0.4%). These estimates are similar to other surveys. The trend towards more mature sexuality can be seen in data from a 2010 Kinsey survey, which looked at sexual practices and partners. More than half the participants in the 2010 national sex survey ages 18-24 indicated that their most recent sexual partner was a casual or dating partner. For other age groups, the majority of study participants indicated that their most recent sexual partner was a relationship partner. Another task of adult sexual development is learning sexual likes and dislikes and effectively communicating these to a partner (Hyde & DeLamater, 2013). This is often a process of sexual experimentation, and healthy communication positively impacts sexual connection and satisfaction. Throughout the lifecycle, developmental milestones can affect sexuality. These milestones (sometimes referred to as “crises”) include: 1. Quarter-life crises: A quarter-life crisis typically occurs between the ages of 25 and 30. It often revolves around the challenges that arise from young adults newly living life on their own and feeling overwhelmed with new responsibilities; it can also happen after the birth of a child or if a person graduates from college and cannot find a job in their chosen field. 2. Mid-life crises: mid-life crisis include problems with work, trouble in a marriage, children growing up and leaving the home, or the aging or death of a person’s parents. • a search for an undefined dream or goal • a deep sense of regret for goals not accomplished • a fear of humiliation among more successful colleagues • a desire to achieve a feeling of youthfulness Sexuality Throughout the Lifecycle: Early Adulthood (approx 19-30) ce4less.com ce4less.com ce4less.com ce4less.com ce4less.com ce4less.com 3 Case Vignette Maddie is a 19-year-old college student away from home for the first time. In high school she rarely went out, focusing instead on her grades. While she still wants to do well academically she is finding it difficult due to the number of opportunities she has to socialize. On her large college campus there are parties almost every night, and she has found herself involved in a number of casual hookups. Young adulthood is a time when many begin to embark on sexual relationships while outside the confines of their childhood homes and away from the watchful eyes of parents. In the United States and europe, most adolescents initiate sexual intercourse in their 17th year (Finer & Philbin, 2013). Parental monitoring has been linked to delayed sexual initiation and safer sexual practices (DiClemente, Crosby, & Salazar, 2006). In early adulthood, most romantic relationships involve a sexual component. Among young adults ages 18 to 23 who are in any form of romantic relationship, only about 6% are not having sex of some sort (Regnerus, 2007). Traditional dating has declined on college campuses, hookups—casual sexual encounters often initiated at social events in which alcohol flows freely—have become a primary form of intimate interaction (Bogle, 2008). Hamilton and Armstrong (2009) conducted a longitudinal study in which they followed several young women throughout college. These authors point to conflict that some young women experience: while they have been socialized to prefer relationships, college norms make this much more difficult (although those that are too sexually active may be labeled in a derogatory way, a sexual double-standard). There is some evidence to suggest that casual sex may affect mood; one study showed that men who engage in casual sex show few depressive symptoms, on average, while women with a history of such liaisons report the highest levels of depression (Grello et al., 2006). Another societal change for young adults involves relationship patterns (both sexual and affectional). The median for marriage has risen to 26 for women and 28 for men. Many emerging adults are “trying on” sexual relationships for several years before “settling down” (serial monogamy). Young adults regularly move into and out of intimate relationships, but most are short-lived (Regnerus, 2007). Another trend is “friends with benefits,” the practice of having sex in a nonromantic relationship with a friend (Bisson & Levine, 2009) and increased acceptance of pornography among young adults (Carroll et. al, 2008). Sexuality Throughout the Lifecycle: Adulthood (approx 31-45) Sexuality continues to develop into a person’s 30s and 40s. Patterns of serial monogamy are often replaced when people move into coupled relationships. These relationships are now characterized by increasing intimacy. early writers on ce4less.com ce4less.com ce4less.com ce4less.com ce4less.com ce4less.com 4 intimacy state that intimacy is conceptualized broadly as a process involving emotional and physical affection, closeness, cohesion, and sexuality (Waring, 1984). Intimacy results in partner closeness, friendship, and desire to share physical and emotional connections. Positive relationships with significant others in our adult years have been found to contribute to a state of wellbeing (Ryff & Singer, 2009). Most adults identify themselves through their relationships with family— particularly spouses, children, and parents (Markus et al., 2004). Having stable intimate relationships has also been found to contribute to well being throughout adulthood (Vaillant, 2002). The model of relational development (M.L. Knapp) explains how people come together (and come apart). While this model spans many types of relationships, it also elucidates the sexual coming together couples experience. Coming together consists of five phases—initiating, experimentation, intensifying, integration, and bonding. 1. During initiating, first impressions are made; physical factors play a large role in this phase. This phase may be more superficial as people are trying to make a good first impression. 2. During experimentation, the two people attempt to find some common ground between each other’s lives, such as common interests and hobbies. People start to open up more and ask more personal questions as they get to know one another. 3. During the intensifying phase, people open themselves up fully in the hope of being accepted by the potential mate. During this phase, people may reveal things about themselves or others in order to test the trust level of potential partners. 4. The integration phase involves people merging their lives together and solidifying a relationship status. 5. Finally, during the bonding phase, people recognize a commitment to one another (traditionally through marriage, though many alternative forms of commitment exist) and the relationship lasts until death, breakup, or divorce.