Chapter 4 Similarities and Differences in Our Sexual Responses

Chapter 4Similarities and Differences in Our Sexual Responses For use with the text, Human Sexuality Today, 5th edition. Bruce M. King Slides by Callista Lee King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall

Measurement of sexual responses • Masters & Johnson recorded over 10,000 sexual episodes leading to orgasm in the 1960’s: • Volunteers aged 18 to 89 years old. • Masturbation, sexual intercourse, oral-genital sex • Measurements included heart rate, blood pressure, muscle tension, respiration and brain waives. • Penile strain gauges and vaginal photo-plethysmographs measured sexual arousal. King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall

Models of sexual response • Masters & Johnson – four phases • Excitement, Plateau, Orgasm, Resolution • Helen Kaplan – three phases • Desire, Excitement, Orgasm • Feminist Scholars – Questioning the focus on just the genitals • Women’s sexual responses are more complex King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall

Desire and excitement in males • Erection of the penis, caused by vasocongestion of the spongy tissues within the penis, is the first physical sign of arousal. • Myotonia – a buildup of energy in nerves and muscles. • Increase in heart rate and blood pressure. • The scrotum thickens and spermatic cord shortens, elevating the testicles. King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall

Neural mechanisms of erection • A reflex center low in the spinal cord receives input caused by stimulation to the penis – smooth muscles of the penis then relax, allowing for vasocongestion. • A 2nd erection center receives input from the brain. King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall

Plateau Phase • High sexual arousal or varying lengths of time. • Penis and testicles become larger. • Cowper’s glands secrete a clear fluid to make the urethra less acidic (from urine). • 25% of men experience a sex-tension flush on the skin of the chest or other areas. King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall

Male orgasm is a rhythmic process • Intense physical sensation and pleasure • Emission stage • Contractions of vas deferens, prostate gland, and seminal vessicles mix sperm with seminal fluids. Feelings of “I’m coming.” • Expulsion (ejaculation) stage • The urinary bladder is closed off from the urethra. • Muscles in the urethra and at the base of the penis contract, forcing the blended semen out of the body. King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall

Male resolution phase • Resolution is the return to the unaroused state. • Physiological responses drop below the plateau levels and into the excitement level • If stimulation continues, he may return to plateau and another orgasm after a “Refractory Period” during which he cannot experience another orgasm. • Length of the Refractory Period depends on many physiological, behavioral, emotional and age-related factors. King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall

Women’s Sexual Responses • Differences in desire between men and women • Several researchers have concluded that men tend to have higher levels of desire, linked closely to biological factors. • In women, sexual desire is closely linked to relationship and intimacy needs such as feeling valued, nurturance, relief from stress, procreation, pleasure, personal power and feeling the power of one’s partner King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall

Excitement (arousal) in women – a precedent to feelings of pleasure • Vasocongestion of the vaginal walls causes vaginal lubrication by a “sweating” effect after several minutes of stimulation. • Labia become engorged and move apart. • Walls of the vagina balloon out. • Cervix and uterus pull upward. • Engorged clitoris becomes more prominent. • The nipples erect and breasts plump up. King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall

The female plateau phase • Inner 2/3 of the vagina expand, uterus tilts further, creating the “orgasmic platform.” • Outer 1/3 of the vagina is highly engorged, very sensitive and significantly narrowed. • 50 – 75% experience a sex flush of the skin. • Clitoris pulls back beneath the clitoral hood. • Areola of the breast swells. • Secretion of vaginal lubrication may slow. King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall

Female orgasm and resolution • Subjective feelings of orgasm do not differ from the man’s except for a lack of “orgasmic inevitability” he feels during his emission stage. • Some women experience true multiple orgasms; full orgasms in quick succession without dropping below the plateau levels of physiological arousal (no refractory period). • Focus on orgasm as a goal is self-defeating. King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall

Female genital mutilation • Sunna circumcision and excision (80%) • Infibulation (phraonic circumcision) • Village women perform the surgery on girls with primitive tools and without anesthetic. • These patriarchal cultures seek to eliminate female sexual desire so as to reduce infidelity to secure a husband’s ownership of his wife and children. King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall

Controversies about orgasms • 5 – 10% of women never have orgasms • About 1/3 of women do not have orgasm during sexual intercourse; of those who do, most require simultaneous clitoral stimulation. • Regardless of the type of stimulation needed to achieve orgasm, physiologically and orgasm is an orgasm. • Biology and psychology affect subjective feelings of intensity and pleasure. King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall

Grafenberg spot & female ejaculations • The G-spot, clearly identified in only 10% of women; highly sensitive dime-sized area on the front vaginal wall, under the bladder. It swells when stimulated. • 10 - 40% of women have experienced ejaculation of the Skene’s glands, usually in women with strong PC muscles and responsive to G-spot stimulation. King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall

Men and multiple orgasms • According to the Masters and Johnson model, men may have several “mini-orgasms” by withholding ejaculation before having a full “wet” orgasm. The wet orgasm is nearly always followed by a refractory period. • Variability among individuals must be considered; some men may experience a wet orgasm followed by “dry” orgasms. King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall

Penis size, attitudes and pleasure • Women rarely mention penis size as a significant factor in their ability to experience sexual pleasure with a man. • X-rated entertainment worships Priapus, leading many normal men to feel insecure. • Despite popular mythology, no study has found a substantial difference in penis size between black men and white men. King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall

Aphrodisiacs and Anaphrodisiacs • Foods that resemble genitals – placebo effect • Spanish fly – painful inflammation can result • Alcohol – fewer inhibitions but decreased performance • Cocaine – energy, self-confidence, erectile failure and difficulty reaching orgasm • Marijuana – increased tactile sensitivity, erectile problems, lower testosterone levels King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall

More about supposed aphrodisiacs • XTC (MDMA) – euphoria, overheating, memory loss, permanent brain damage • “Sextasy” – Viagra plus XTC – pounding headaches, prolonged and painful erections • Yohimbine – helpful for men with psychologically caused impotence but little effect on men without erectile problems • Pheromone perfumes – no reliable results King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall

People with disabilities • Sexual self-esteem • Creativity and openness to finding behaviors for sexual expression • Understanding partners and care-givers • Emotional intimacy • Regardless of what we look like or our physical or mental capabilities, we are all sexual beings King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall

Chapter 4 Similarities and Differences in Our Sexual Responses