Psychology: Sexuality and Gender

psychology
third edition
CHAPTER 10
sexuality and
gender
Psychology, Third Edition Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Saundra K. Ciccarelli • J. Noland White All rights reserved.
Learning Objective Menu
• LO 10.1Physical differences between males and females
• LO 10.2Gender, influence of biology and learning on gender development
• LO 10.3Theories on gender role, gender stereotyping and androgyny
• LO 10.4Gender differences in thinking, social behavior, and personality
• LO 10.5Bodies of men and women during sexual intercourse
• LO 10.6Early and recent studies on sexual behavior
• LO 10.7Sexual orientations and how they develop
• LO 10.8Sexual dysfunctions
• LO 10.9Sexually transmitted infections (STI) and protecting against STIs

Male and Female Physical Differences
LO 10.1 Physical differences between males and females
• Primary sex characteristics – sexual

organs present at birth and directly
involved in human reproduction.
– Vagina - the tube that leads from the outside
of a female’s body to the opening of the
womb.
– Uterus - the womb in which the baby grows
during pregnancy.
– Ovaries- the female sexual glands.

• Primary sex characteristics – sexual

organs present at birth and directly
involved in human reproduction.
– Testes (testicles) - the male sex glands.
– Scrotum - external sack that holds the testes.
– Prostate gland - gland that secretes most of
the fluid holding the male sex cells or sperm.

• Female Primary Sex Characteristics

– Vagina - the tube that leads from the outside
of a female’s body to the opening of the
womb.
– Uterus - the womb in which the baby grows
during pregnancy.
– Ovaries- the female sexual glands.

• Male Primary Sex Characteristics

– Penis – male sex organ.
– Testes (testicles) - the male sex glands.
– Scrotum - external sack that holds the testes.
– Prostate gland - gland that secretes most of
the fluid holding the male sex cells or sperm.

Figure 10.1 Male and Female Sexual Organs
These figures show the sexual organs of men and women. With the exception of breast tissue development in the
female, which occurs during puberty, all of these structures develop during the prenatal period.

• Secondary sex characteristics

– Sexual organs and traits that develop at
puberty and are indirectly involved in human
reproduction.

• Female Secondary Sex Characteristics

– Growth spurt
– Onset of the menstrual cycle - monthly
shedding of the blood and tissue that line the
uterus in preparation for pregnancy when
conception does not occur
– Breast development
 Mammary glands - glands within the breast tissue
that produce milk when a woman gives birth to an
infant.
• Female Secondary Sex Characteristics

– Widening hips
– Pubic hair
– Fat deposits
– Further growth and development of the
uterus, vagina, and ovaries

• Male Secondary Sex Characteristics

– Enlarged larynx (Adam’s apple)
– Deepening voice
– Facial and chest hair
– Pubic hair
– Coarser skin texture
– Large increase in height
– Estrogens - female sex hormones.
– Androgens - male sex hormones.
Gender
LO 10.2 Gender
• Gender
– The psychological aspects of being male or
female.
• Gender roles - the culture’s expectations
for masculine or feminine behavior,
including attitudes, actions, and
personality traits associated with being
male or female in that culture.

Gender
LO 10.2 Gender
• Gender typing - the process of acquiring

gender role characteristics.
• Gender identity - the individual’s sense of
being male or female.

Biology and Learning Influences on Gender
LO 10.2 Gender
• Biological influences - hormones and

chromosomes
• Environmental influences - parenting,
surroundings, and culture on the formation
of gender identity.

Gender Roles
LO 10.3 Theories on gender role, gender stereotyping and androgyny
• Social learning theory - gender identity is

formed through reinforcement of
appropriate gender behavior as well as
imitation of gender models.

Gender Roles
• Gender schema theory - theory of gender

identity acquisition in which a child
develops a mental pattern, or schema, for
being male or female and then organizes
observed and learned behavior around
that schema.

Figure 10.2 Depression as Influenced by Negative Life Events
The bar graph shows that men who are masculine and women who are feminine in their gender roles experience a
significant increase in depression when they are exposed to an increased number of life events. The same is not true
for people with an androgynous gender role. How might being androgynous allow a person to be more adaptable?

Gender Stereotyping
• Stereotype - a concept held about a

person or group of people that is based on
superficial, irrelevant characteristics.
• Gender stereotype - a concept held about
a person or group of people that is based
on being male or female.
• Sexism - prejudice about males and/or
females leading to unequal treatment.

Gender Stereotyping
• Benevolent sexism - acceptance of

positive stereotypes of males and females
that leads to unequal treatment.

Androgyny
• Androgyny - characteristic of possessing

the most positive personality
characteristics of males and females
regardless of actual sex.

Other Male and Female Differences
LO 10.4 Gender differences in thinking, social behavior, and personality
• Cognitive differences - male advantage in

mathematical and spatial skills and a
female superiority in verbal skills
(decreasing differences).
• Emotional expression - males tend to talk
with each other in a "report" style, whereas
females tend to talk to each other in a
"relate" style.

Stages of Human Sexual Response
LO 10.5 Bodies of men and women during sexual intercourse
• Excitement – beginning of sexual arousal.

• Plateau – physical changes beginning in
first stage continue.
• Orgasm - a series of rhythmic contractions
of the muscles of the vaginal walls or the
penis, also the third and shortest phase of
sexual response.
– Semen - fluid released from the penis at
orgasm that contains the sperm.
Stages of Human Sexual Response
LO 10.5 Bodies of men and women during sexual intercourse
• Resolution - the final phase of the sexual

response in which the body is returned to
a normal state.
– Refractory period - time period in males just
after orgasm in which the male cannot
become aroused or achieve erection.

Figure 10.3 The Male Sexual-Response Cycle
A male experiences sexual arousal (excitement), a plateau lasting a few seconds to a few minutes, orgasm, and then
experiences a refractory period during which another erection is not yet possible. This refractory period can last for
several minutes to several hours and tends to increase in length with age. Resolution, in which the body returns to its
prearousal state, is last.

Figure 10.4 The Female Sexual-Response Cycle
Women can experience several different patterns of sexual response. In Pattern A, a woman experiences excitement,
a plateau, and orgasm in a manner similar to a man. Unlike a man, the woman does not have a refractory period and
can experience several orgasms before entering resolution. In Pattern B, there is a longer plateau period but no
orgasm, and in Pattern C, the woman goes from excitement to orgasm to a quick resolution without experiencing a
plateau period.

Masters and Johnson Study
LO 10.6 Early and recent studies on sexual behavior
• Used volunteers, some of whom were

prostitutes, and both observed and
measured their physiological responses
during all phases of sexual intercourse.

Kinsey Studies
• Series of sexual behavior surveys in the

late 1940s and early 1950s
• Revealed some highly controversial findings
about the kinds of sexual behavior common
among people in the United States,
including:
– Homosexuality
– Premarital sex
– Extramarital sex
Janus Report
• Large-scale survey of sexual behavior in

the United States in 1990s.
• Did not differ widely from those of Kinsey
but looked at many more types of sexual
behavior and factors related to sexual
behavior, including:
– Sexual deviance - behavior that is
unacceptable according to societal norms and
expectations.
Sexual Orientation
LO 10.7 Sexual orientations and how they develop
• Sexual orientation - a person’s sexual

attraction preference for members of a
particular sex.
• Heterosexual - person attracted to the
opposite sex.
• Homosexual - person attracted to the same
sex.
• Bisexual - person attracted to both men and
women.
Sexual Dysfunction
LO 10.8 Sexual dysfunctions
• Sexual dysfunction - a problem in sexual

functioning.
• Organic or stress-induced dysfunction -
sexual problem caused by physical disorder
or psychological stress.
– Hypoactive sexual desire, sexual aversion, female
sexual arousal disorder, male erectile disorder,
male orgasmic disorder, female orgasmic
disorder, premature ejaculation, vaginismus, and
dyspareunia.
Sexually-Transmitted Infections
LO 10.9 Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI)
• Sexually transmitted infections (STI) - can

affect the sexual organs and the ability to
reproduce and may result in pain,
disfigurement, and even death.
• Common bacterial sexually transmitted
infections (STI) are Chlamydia, syphilis,
and gonorrhea.
– Treatable with antibiotics.

• Viral sexually transmitted infections (STI)

include genital herpes (caused by the
herpes simplex virus that also causes cold
sores) and genital warts (caused by the
human papillomavirus).
– Neither can be cured and both can lead to
complications such as increased risk of
cancer.

• AIDS or acquired immune deficiency

syndrome - sexually transmitted viral
disorder that causes deterioration of the
immune system and eventually results in
death due to complicating infections that
the body can no longer fight.
– There are drug treatments but no cure.

How to Protect Spread of STIs
• Using condoms
• Having only one partner
• Abstaining from sex
• Avoiding IV drug use
• Knowing the symptoms of the various
diseases
• Getting regular physicals


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psychology

Psychology, Third Edition Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Psychology, Third Edition Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

• Primary sex characteristics – sexual

Psychology, Third Edition Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

• Primary sex characteristics – sexual

Psychology, Third Edition Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

• Female Primary Sex Characteristics

Psychology, Third Edition Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

• Male Primary Sex Characteristics

Psychology, Third Edition Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Psychology, Third Edition Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

• Secondary sex characteristics

Psychology, Third Edition Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

• Female Secondary Sex Characteristics

• Female Secondary Sex Characteristics

Psychology, Third Edition Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

• Male Secondary Sex Characteristics

Psychology, Third Edition Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

• Gender typing - the process of acquiring

Psychology, Third Edition Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

• Biological influences - hormones and

Psychology, Third Edition Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

• Social learning theory - gender identity is

Psychology, Third Edition Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

• Gender schema theory - theory of gender

Psychology, Third Edition Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Psychology, Third Edition Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

• Stereotype - a concept held about a

Psychology, Third Edition Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

• Benevolent sexism - acceptance of

Psychology, Third Edition Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

• Androgyny - characteristic of possessing

Psychology, Third Edition Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

• Cognitive differences - male advantage in

Psychology, Third Edition Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

• Excitement – beginning of sexual arousal.

• Resolution - the final phase of the sexual

Psychology, Third Edition Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Psychology, Third Edition Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Psychology, Third Edition Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

• Used volunteers, some of whom were

Psychology, Third Edition Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

• Series of sexual behavior surveys in the

• Large-scale survey of sexual behavior in

• Sexual orientation - a person’s sexual

• Sexual dysfunction - a problem in sexual

• Sexually transmitted infections (STI) - can

Psychology, Third Edition Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

• Viral sexually transmitted infections (STI)

Psychology, Third Edition Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

• AIDS or acquired immune deficiency

Psychology, Third Edition Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Psychology, Third Edition Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

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