Entry 1: The 3 Dimensions of Sexuality
As the textbook described, human sexuality involves the interrelationship of a person's biological, psychological, and sociocultural characteristics (e.g. the three dimensions of human sexuality).
Evaluate each of the dimensions according to their significance in your life.
In other words, how are each of these dimensions of human sexuality important to you and why?
Biological
"The greater your knowledge, the more likely you are
to take responsibility for your sexual health." -
Exploring the Dimensions of Human Sexuality, 5th
Edition.
Knowing how the body works... more specifically,
how MY body works... is paramount to how I
experience my sexuality. It's also important to
understand how the body and biology changes, as I
age. My body's biological reaction to various things
has changed over time. There are also various
physical limitations that arise as we age.
Alot of women experience radical biological changes
during perimenopause that affect sexual desire and
even how their body reacts during sex.
Women have forever feared "The Change" but I'm all
for embracing it! We MUST or the cycle of fear and
lack of knowledge about ourselves and our bodies just
continues on to the next generations. The future
generations deserve better than that from us.
So, I guess I should get reading my copy of "The
Wisdom of Menopause" by Christiane Northrup. ;)
This body we inhabit is always changing. We do
ourselves a disservice if we don't make an effort to
educate ourselves about it.
Psychological
"Sexual behavior "is all between the ears."" - Dr. Ruth
Westheimer.
There is an evolution to thoughts about sexuality. An
evolution to desires. An evolution to what turns us
on.
Getting "stuck" in how things should be or how things
once were only causes problems.
Even with being as open as I am about my views on
sexuality, I've had hang-ups over the years that I've
had to work through.
We need to learn how to embrace where we are now...
to allow ourselves to explore new areas of our
sexuality... to get over hang-ups over what's "bad" or
"good" regarding sexuality and sexual experiences.
I love learning about what people are "into" when it
comes to sex and expressing their sexuality. A few
weeks back, I was watching Sunny Megatron's show
on Showtime. That episode featured people who liked
to go to clown sex parties. People dress up as clowns
and then go to sex parties where other people are
dressed up as clowns and then just explore. I don't
think I saw any swapping... not everyone had sex but
some did... some just were talking, kissing, and trying
various kinky things with others who were interested.
And you know, it wasn't even "weird"... I just giggled
and thought... "Yep, there's something out there for
everyone."
Sociocultural
"All societies have faced the problem of reconciling
the need of controlling sex with that of giving it
adequate expression, and all have solved it by some
combination of cultural taboos, permissions, and
injunctions. Prohibitory regulations curb the socially
more disruptive forms of sexual competition.
Permissive regulations allow at least the minimum
impulse gratification required for individual well-
being. Very commonly, moreover, sex behavior is
specifically enjoined by obligatory regulations where
it appears directly to subserve the interests of society."
- American anthropologist George Murdock
My sociocultural influences were growing up in a
rural area just outside of a small mid-west village,
being in a religious family who attended a small
Baptist church every Wednesday night and Sunday
morning, and going to small-town school that bussed
kids in from the bigger city to the southwest of it.
Through church, I experienced a conservative attitude
about sex but in my family, I was brought up to be
accepting of others... to show God's love. Through
school, I experienced a wide variety of friends, even
in the small-town school. As I grew up, I was drawn
to the kids who played on the fringes... the ones who
were "different."
So, I tend to be conservative in some aspects of my
sexuality. I was never promiscuous. But I never
judged anyone for using their sexuality how they
wanted to. I'm very much a proponent of marriage...
but not in a cisgender-hetero way. I'm family
oriented... but i don't think that every family must look
like mine.