Human sexuality is a wide-ranging concept that revolves around biological, sociological and, psychological differences between females and males. As a result, human sexuality may be analyzed from various sociological disciplines including psychology, sociology, anthropology, and history. In the same way, the topic may be approached through applied sciences perspectives, most notably Biology, law, education, medicine, as well as economics. Furthermore, human sexuality may be reviewed using various diversity frameworks which may include gender and women studies, cultural & ethnic studies, queer theory studies, or religious studies. The analysis of human sexuality using psychology, education, and gender & women studies would allow for more comprehensive conclusions as opposed to focusing on all disciplines and frameworks.
Social Sciences Discipline: Psychology
The social discipline that would be used to analyze the topic is psychology, a discipline that establishes that individuals’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are driven by one's sexuality. Furthermore, human sexuality describes psychological representations of the self as well as orienting one's attraction to others. The psychological perspective establishes that human sexuality shapes the body and the brain to be pleasure-seeking. According to Lehmiller (2017), sex is a basic human drive state which is not only linked to human survival but motivates people to accomplish their goals. Sex is viewed as a way of lessening isolation and alienation as it connects individuals as well as with their humanity and being. More so, sex draws from profound spiritual and psychological power when people wield control over others during intercourse. Sigmund Freud laid the groundwork for applying psychology to the topic of human sexuality by proposing the five stages of psychosexual development. The oral, anal, phallic, latent, and genital stages are important since they define if a person will develop either healthy or unhealthy sexual relationships (Lantz & Ray, 2021). A failure to navigate either of these stages successfully paves the way for psychological problems which include impotence, frigidity, and anal-retentiveness.
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Difference between Psychological and Other Social Sciences Perspectives on Human Sexuality
The psychological perspective on human sexuality differs from other disciplines most notably history, sociology, and anthropology. The main difference is the fact that psychological perspectives view human sexuality as an inherent cognitive process as opposed to a socialized one. For instance, sociology views human sexuality as a rigid construct that must only be used for procreation within marriage and condemns sex outside of this unit. On the other hand, psychology advances the notion that sex cannot be confined, considering that it is a spiritual expression that improves the quality of one’s life (Lehmiller, 2017). The historical perspective establishes that there has been a gradual liberation in perceptions of human sexuality as people move away from rigid social structures. History, sociology, and anthropology depict human sexuality as a part of the societal norms while psychology views it as an innate expression that cannot be shelved
Applied Sciences Discipline: Education
Human sexuality is an important topic in the education discourse as it is a way of helping individuals to understand its implication on different aspects of their lives. Educational policymakers have been constantly pushing for the inclusion of an age-appropriate human sexuality curriculum. Trudell (2017) notes that that parents and families play a significant role as the primary source of sex education for their children even before they attend schools. However, there is still a need to create a uniform curriculum that teaches similar concepts of sex education is to be meaningful and authoritative. The current curriculum is faulty since it does not contain crucial information that would guide adolescents into making safe choices regarding their sexual behaviors. The educational perspective on human sexuality is of major significance, considering that it correlates with performances. According to Maemeko et al. (2018), students who engage in sexual activities early or have more partners are more likely to perform poorly in addition to a reduced likelihood of graduating from high school. This assertion means that there is a need to design a sex education curriculum that aligns with specific behavioral outcomes, builds social competence, and personalizes information. Comprehensive curricula on human sexuality will go a long way in reducing reproductive health problems which include unwanted pregnancies, HIV, and unsafe abortions.
Difference between Educational and other Applied Sciences Perspectives on Human Sexuality
The educational perspective differs from biological, legal, medical, and economic perspectives in that it is a way of orienting individuals about their sexuality. In particular, the education perspective supports all other perspectives through demystifying myths. Individuals who interact with sexual education are in a position to make better choices that result in positive legal, medical, and economic outcomes. For instance, an individual who shuns sexual activity will not save on costs associated with raising children, as well as avoid legal and medical implications. This example indicates that sexual education can go a long way in ensuring that individuals align with existing legal and social norms which, in turn, improves their quality of life.
Diversity Framework: Gender & Women Studies
Gender, which is a social construct that highlights the roles that both men and women should engage is a practical framework for analyzing human sexuality. Most human communities are patriarchal which gives men more authority and autonomy especially when it comes to sexuality. Kreft (2020) asserts that some of these cultures subjugate females through arranged marriages, polygamy, rape, female infanticide, prostitution, and sexual tourism. The reason why these backward practices continue to define most communities is because of culturally accepted stereotypes that disadvantage women. The stereotypes dictate how they are to express their sexuality mostly as a form of exciting men as opposed to exploring their pleasure. The most outstanding stereotype is that women are not allowed to initiate a relationship with a man as doing so points that they are immoral or loose. Instead, women must wait until the man expresses interest, meaning that society requires them to shelve their feelings for as long as possible. This stereotype is indicative of cultural biases which view women as materialistic objects as opposed to autonomous individuals who are capable of making good choices.
Examining Human Sexuality through the Christianity framework
Christianity aligns with most cultural underpinnings in that it outlines gender roles and differences in the human sexuality discourse as it pertains to marriage. Traditional Christianity confined sex to marriage but over the years, the US religious landscape has become more liberal. Unlike the traditional religion which allows heterosexual marriages, modern Christianity is accommodating homosexual relationships. Ford (2020) notes that the Western culture has succeeded in overturning centuries of norms concerning human sexuality, marriage, and family. Theologically liberal churches object church's historic teaching about marriage by insisting that the Bible allows for multiple interpretations. Such assertions mean that there is deemed to be more freedom in sexual expression for both males and females, an outcome that will render cultural stereotypes useless. This culture is no longer a reserve of the Western countries as other nations across the world are embracing it, meaning that there is a looming revolution for the human sexuality discourse.
Self-Reflection
Before interacting with various disciplines and frameworks that try to examine human sexuality I was open to it mainly due to growing up in a liberal culture. However, the different perspectives of this topic have made me realize that human sexuality has not received the attention that it deserves. In as much as it is at the core of existence. The most outstanding lesson that would change my perspective going forward has to do with the gender underpinnings of human sexuality. I have realized that some rigid societies dictate how men and women ought to express their sexuality with females being expected to limit it due to existing stereotypes. I feel that a time has come to move beyond these constrictive and disproportionate stereotypes that disadvantage women and make them be viewed as sexual objects. The topic has also changed my perspective after realizing that religion, in particular, Christianity supports patriarchal societies which are associated with the oppression of women. However, there seems to be a reprieve for them, considering critics believe that it is time that human sexuality got a new definition. Instead of having a rigid framework of interpreting it, individuals must be accorded more freedom so that they can explore their sexuality without fear of being intimidated. Apart from changing my perspective, the assignment has been a platform for improving my writing and research skills. In particular, it has allowed me to compared varied social and applied disciplines that provide unique perspectives on human sexuality. Together, all these perspectives provide a framework for holistically approaching this topic, thus enhancing appreciation for human sexuality.
Humans are sexual beings, a notion that is supported by various social and applied sciences as well as diversity frameworks. Social disciplines such as history, psychology, anthropology, and sociology provide insights on cultural underpinnings associated with human sexuality. This discipline indicates that the continual development of human societies has redefined human sexuality. The evolution means that people appreciate their sexuality and that of others since they understand that it is a part of their core existence. Applied sciences on the other hand which include law, economics, education, and medicine improve the understanding of this topic by tying it to different implications. These sciences advance the need for a new and informed understanding of the concept of human sexuality in a bid to build better societies. The inclusion of diversity frameworks most notably cultural, ethnic, gender, religious studies establishes that human sexuality is an all-encompassing topic. Thus, there is a need to adopt a multi-faceted approach in a bid to get rid of all biases, myths, misconceptions, and stereotypes that have been associated with human sexuality.
References
Ford, M. S. (2020). By whose authority? Sexual ethics, postmodernism, and Orthodox Christianity. Christian Bioethics: Non-Ecumenical Studies in Medical Morality, 26 (3), 298-324. https://doi.org/10.1093/cb/cbaa010
Kreft, A. K. (2020). Civil society perspectives on sexual violence in conflict: Patriarchy and war strategy in Colombia. International Affairs, 96 (2), 457-478. https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiz257
Lantz SE, Ray S. (20210. Freud Developmental Theory . StatPearls Publishing.
Lehmiller, J. J. (2017). The psychology of human sexuality . John Wiley & Sons.
Maemeko, E. L., Nkengbeza, D., & Chokomosi, T. M. (2018). The impact of teenage pregnancy on academic performance of grade 7 learners at a school in the Zambezi region. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 6 (9), 88-100. DOI: 10.4236/jss.2018.69006
Trudell, B. (2017). Doing sex education: Gender politics and schooling . Taylor & Francis.
