FAM 322!

I can't believe how fast this semester has gone by! I'm not going to lie though; I'm definitely ready for summer. Human sexuality has been a GREAT class, and Rob did a GREAT job teaching it! Seriously though, I really enjoyed this class, and I think it has taught me some very beneficial information that if I ever find myself teaching a Human Sexuality course, I will have some really good ideas for approaching the variety of topics that we covered. At the beginning of the semester I was a little nervous about this class, but soon after I started looking forward to coming to class each day. Below is a wordle I created using words from the major concepts we covered throughout the semester!

Sexual Assault

On the topic of sexual assault, there does tend to be the notion that women who get sexually assaulted are usually asking for it, whether they are dressed in skimpy clothes, dancing promiscuously at a bar, or have a bad reputation. According to Martha Burt who put together numerous myths about sexual assault, none of these are true, and in fact any female can get raped. In my opinion however, it may not be so much that they are 'asking for it,' and they certainly don't deserve it, as no one does, but I do think that when women dress or act promiscuously, they are drawing unwanted, negative attention to themselves. I honestly do believe that girls know what they're doing when they act and dress in this way. They are looking for attention, and it drives me crazy when I see this, because it's not positive attention at all. Now this isn't the case with all rape victims. I read in one of my textbooks this semester that often rapists look at people's body posture and gesture when they choose victims. I can't remember exactly why this was, but I believe it was along the lines of when people slouch or display any other gestures that give off the impression of insecurity or weakness, it makes them more attractive victims. No matter what role the victim is in, they are just that; a victim, and sexual assault is a very serious and scary issue that affects people of all ages, gender, and sexual orientation. As well, it occurs within different relationships. A victim can be a complete stranger, a friend, acquaintance or family member, and as discussed in class, 80% of the time, the victim actually knows the assailant.

Sexual Dysfunctions

The other day in class we talked about sexual dysfunctions. We were asked what comes to mind when you think sexual dysfunctions. When I first thought about it, I figured problems that men may have or problems among older people. However, the textbook definition of sexual dysfunctions are the persistent or recurrent difficulties becoming sexually aroused or reaching orgasm. From this definition, the thoughts that come to mind cover a much broader selection of people which may include woman as well as men, and not only older people, but younger too. There are two types of sexual dysfunctions, one being sexual desire disorders and the other being sexual arousal disorders. Sexual desire disorder is when an individual has little or no sexual interest, while sexual arousal disorder is the physiological inability to engage in sexual activity - while men may have have troubles with erection, women may have trouble with lubrication for example. It was also discussed that likely everyone has or will experience some form of sexual dysfunction with their partner, it is just not widely talked about. Effective communication and listening skills come in important here, if a couple is having troubles with sexual dysfunctions, then it is important that they should be able to talk about it. If not, the partner experiencing the dysfunction may feel embarrassed, mad, or undergo performance anxiety, likely making the problem worse. However, sexual dysfunctions are not always problems that persist through ones entire life, sometimes they are acquired. As well, just because a person experiences a sexual dysfunction, does not mean that it will happen every time they try to engage in sexual activity. An interesting point can be made however about the name sexual dysfunctions. The way in which people refer to dysfunctions denotes it as being a negative thing. However, we can think about this in terms of Kinsey's studies, who defines sexual normalcy? What is regarded as a dysfunction by most people, some people might be completely fine with. As with most topics pertaining to sexuality, it is what works for you that is the most important factor, and there is not necessarily a right or wrong way.