Many feminist researchers believe that sexology in the United States is still dominated by white, middle-class, heterosexist attitudes, which permeate sexuality research (Ericksen, 1999; Irvine, 1990). Others add that sexuality research has been based on a model of male sexuality, which also promotes heterosexuality as the norm (M. Jackson, 1984). Feminist researchers often claim that […]

Sociologists are interested in how the society in which we live influences sexual be­havior. Even though the basic capacity to be sexual might be biologically programmed, how it is expressed varies greatly across societies, as we saw in the last chapter. For in­stance, there are differences in what societies tolerate, men’s and women’s roles, and […]

Evolutionary theory incorporates both evolution and sociology to understand sexual be­havior. In order to understand sexual behavior in humans, evolutionary theorists study animal sexual patterns and look for evolutionary trends. They believe that sexuality ex- ists for the purpose of reproducing the species, and individual sexuality is designed to maximize the chances of passing on […]

Humanistic (or person-centered) psychologists believe that we all strive to develop our­selves to the best of our abilities and to achieve self-actualization (Raskin & Rogers, 1989). This is easier to do if we are raised with unconditional positive regard, which in­volves accepting and caring about another person without any stipulations or condi­tions. In other words, […]

So far, the theories we have looked at emphasize that either internal conflicts or external events control the development of personality. Unlike these, cognitive theory holds that people differ in how they process information, and this creates personality differences. We feel what we think we feel, and our thoughts also affect our behavior. Our behavior […]

Social learning theory actually grew out of behaviorism. Scientists began to question whether or not behaviorism was too limited in its explanation of human behavior. Many believed that thoughts and feelings had more influence on behaviors than the behav­iorists claimed. A noted social learning theorist, Albert Bandura (1969), argued that both internal and external events […]

observed, and controlled by scientists. Radical behaviorists (those who believe that we do not actually choose how we behave), such as B. F. Skinner (1953), claim that envi­ronmental rewards and punishments determine the types of behaviors in which we en­gage. This is referred to as operant conditioning. We learn certain behaviors, including most sexual behaviors, […]

Of the psychological theories of sexuality, the most influential has been Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory. Freud felt that the sex drive was one of the most important forces in life, and he spent a considerable amount of time studying sexuality. Psychoanalytic Theory Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) spent most of his life in Vienna, Austria. In the […]

The study of sexuality is multidisciplinary. Psychologists, sexologists, biologists, theologians, physicians, sociologists, anthropologists, and philosophers all perform sexuality research. The questions each discipline asks and how its practitioners transform those questions into research projects can differ greatly. However, the insights of these disciplines complement each other, and no single approach to the study of sexuality […]

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