Sexuality

I

Introduction

Sexuality, all the characteristics of an individual’s behaviour that are related to sex. It refers to people’s sexual preferences and sexual identity, and may be described both in purely physical terms, and as an essential part of love and relationships.

II

Sexual Attraction, Sexual Desire, and Sexual Drive

A

Sexual Attraction

Sexual attraction, apart from promoting the propagation of the species, is, particularly in Western cultures, strongly linked to self-esteem in both men and women, throughout life. The biological imperative of sexual attraction used to permeate most aspects of many cultures. The status of the individual within sections of society may also be related to his or her sex appeal, and in the West there is commercial as well as social value placed on it. An example is the link that is made in advertisements between sexual attraction and a brand of, for example, jeans, perfume, or car.

All the senses are involved in the so-called chemistry of sexual attraction. A person’s appearance as well as how he or she behaves can be the basis of attraction. The entire process is highly complex, and what is thought attractive by one person may be unattractive to another. Appearance, behaviour, emotions, mannerisms, conversation, body language, and expressed views, among other things—as well as the circumstances of an encounter—all play a part, but in different ways for different people. There are no firm rules on what constitutes sexual attraction and it does not have to depend on Western ideas of attractiveness.

Once two people have met, their personalities become important, and to some extent each person often fulfils the unconscious needs of his or her partner. Attitudes and values may be similar and, in a number of respects, like will attract like: for instance, partners may both come from the same social class, or have the same level of education, or the same religious and ethnic background. This, however, is often due to the lack of opportunity or because of socially created barriers, which are now increasingly being broken down in many societies.

The response of the individual to another person affects the individual’s attractiveness. A series of social interactions takes place when two people meet. Two people increase sexual attraction for each other as they face one another, touch, prolong eye contact, and synchronize body movements. The reaction to the sound of a person’s voice or touch indicates attraction.

B

Sexual Desire

Sexual desire is influenced by the level of sex hormones in the body and by psychological factors. Social conditioning and a person’s circumstances strongly affect the level of sexual desire, which varies greatly between one time and another, and from one individual to another. The person’s sexual capacity, that is, the capacity to become sexually aroused and to reach orgasm (sexual climax), depends on physical health and the effective function of the nervous, muscular, and vascular systems. These vary markedly with age. The actual amount of sexual activity engaged in depends not only on physiological and psychological factors, but also on opportunity.

C

Sex Drive

At the beginning of the 20th century the word “drive” was a narrow biological term used in the same sense as the term “sexual instinct”. It described an innate force that drove animals to avoid hunger or pain and which released physical tension through sexual activity. Sigmund Freud extended the idea of sex drive when he described the libido as a largely unconscious force motivating human behaviour. Current thinking uses the terms “sex drive” and “libido” loosely in the sense of sexual motivation, denoting the desire to engage in sexual behaviour. A difference in sex drive may influence a relationship, for example, if one partner is too demanding or impatient, or if one partner has less desire for sex than the other. People who otherwise have things in common may, in this way, be incompatible as regards their needs for sex.

III

Sexual Development and the Life Cycle