Human Sexuality- A Comprehensive Exploration of Behavior, Development, and Gender
Sex is a part of most romantic relationships, and in many cases, it forms a part of the reasons behind problems in such relationships. As such, a better understanding of sex and its impact on a romantic relationship can help offer direction on how couples can have a healthy romantic relationship and healthy sexual behavior. Concerning this observation, most studies in the area of interplay between intimate relationships and sexual behavior reveal that dyadic behavior and the lack of emotional connection can affect sexual behavior in a romantic relationship. Also, the way the couples perceive sex can interfere with their sexual behavior. Researchers focusing on how media promulgate explicit sexual materials also show that constant consumption of pornography can lead to unethical and illegal sexual behavior, which in turn can affect a romantic relationship. Hence, through a review of scholarly literature, this discussion reveals that sex in marriage can be affected by several things, like extradyadic behavior, emotional intimacy, a couple’s perception of sex in the marriage, and consumption of pornography, which also has other adverse effects.
Literature Review
The first identified factor that affects sexual behavior in a romantic relationship is extradyadic behavior. Extradyadic relations are emotional or sexual relations outside the agreed negotiations in a romantic relationship. It can also be called infidelity (Arantes, Barros, & Oliveira, 2020). Thus, this research by Arantes, Barros, and Oliveira (2020) reveals that extradyadic behavior affects sex in a romantic relationship. The researchers in this study were more concerned with understanding how past extradyadic behavior affects current relationships. The researchers further examined the differences in these variables. In this quantitative research with 364 participants whose information was collected through a questionnaire, the study showed that men had higher cases of extradyadic behavior. Hence, they were the most affected by their sexual desires. The research had 251 male and 113 female participants, which is a population that made the findings generalizable. The findings thus showed that men engaged in more cases of extradyadic behavior, their sexual desires were affected, and they gave priority to physical attractiveness concerning their sexual desires. Moreover, the study showed that most of those who engaged in extradyadic behavior had relationships of lower quality. Thus, this behavior affected their sexual behavior in their romantic relationships.
Another study pointed out that emotional intimacy affects sexual behavior between couples in a romantic relationship. In the study by van Lankveld et al. (2018), the scholars looked deeper into the role that intimacy plays in increasing sexual desire or the role that the lack of intimacy plays in reducing sexual desire. In this qualitative research, 134 participants were sampled and interviewed using questionnaires. Their diaries were also used to get their opinions on the research topic. The outcome of this research showed that there is a connection between emotional intimacy, or the lack of it, and an increase as well as a decrease in sexual desire among couples. The study further revealed that male participants were the most affected. In other words, men who had stronger emotional intimacy had higher sexual desires for their partners. This study proved that emotional intimacy was a significant factor that affected the sexual relationship between married couples. While these observations were very accurate and supported by other scholars, Fletcher et al. (2019), the researchers did not go into detail to explain some of the factors that increase emotional intimacy and whether other factors can affect sexual behavior even when emotional intimacy is there. Even so, what came out was the importance of emotional intimacy among couples who want to increase their sexual desire for each other.
Apart from the two factors above, the perception of sex and its role in a romantic relationship also came out as a factor that can positively or negatively affect a sexual relationship between couples. Zhang (2022) used Martin Buber’s relationship theory to explore this subject. Buber explains that there are two types of relationships. There is the “I-Thou” relationship and the “I-It” relationship. The study thus pointed out that when this theory is applied in a case of romantic relationships, it reveals that a couple that uses the “I-Thou” relationship approach participates mutually in sexual behavior or agrees mutually on matters regarding sex. They talk and come to a sexual agreement that meets the needs of both parties. In case there is a disagreement between this couple, they are willing to talk about it and come to an agreement such that both parties engage sexually as equal parties. On the other hand, the couple that employs the “I-It” relationship approach perceive sex as a tool. Hence, one of the parties will use sex to manipulate the other. In such a case, sex is used as a tool, and this can destroy the relationship, leading to loneliness and avoidance. Hence, the perception that couples have of sex in their relationship can also affect sexual behavior among them.
Subsequently, pornography can lead to sexual violence, which is an abnormal sexual behavior in a romantic relationship. Bergenfeld et al. (2022) studied sexual behavior among Vietnamese University students. The interests of the researchers were to identify violent sexual behavior among these students and their connection to the consumption of pornography. The researchers employed a qualitative research method where 739 university students agreed to be participants. The study revealed that most of these students were very much exposed to sexually explicit material through various media. The study further revealed that a good number of these participants who engaged in watching pornography were exhibiting sexually violent tendencies. The researchers generalized that exposure to sexually explicit material through the media was a reason behind sexually violent behavior among men. The study also revealed that younger people were exposed to pornography from a very tender age. The fact that this study was done among Vietnamese alone may create a limitation because values vary in various societies. Values can affect exposure to pornography and also the application of pornography in a romantic relationship. Even though this was a limitation, Fletcher et al. (2019) corroborated these findings by revealing that exposure to pornography had an impact on sexual behavior and thus can affect sex between couples in a romantic relationship.
Pornography does not only affect sex among people who have romantic relations. It also affects young people by encouraging risky sexual behavior. This conclusion is made from the longitudinal research study by Lin et al. (2020). The objective of this study was to employ instrumental variable estimation to examine the connection that exists between pornography and risky sexual behavior among Taiwanese teenagers. The population sampled for this study was Taiwanese youth, and the research method was longitudinal. The results of the study showed that many of these participants started watching pornography at a very tender age. Specifically, 50 percent of the participants agreed with the fact that they began to watch pornography at a very young age. This exposure drove them into sexual relations when they were very young. Thus, exposure to pornography at an early age is seen as responsible for irresponsible sexual behavior among the youth in Taiwan. The same observation can be generalized to youth in other places. Reckless sexual behavior can affect the youth’s future romantic relations (Gilbert & Lamb, 2018). also, it is not a healthy sexual behavior.
Another adverse effect of pornography that is described widely in these studies is the effect that it has on people with an addiction. According to Privara and Bob (2023), the consumption of pornography when an individual has distress or some form of mental illness can cause addiction. In their research, which was a review of literature in the field of consumption of pornography, the researchers wanted to examine the connection between consumption of sexually explicit material and distress. In the process, the researchers learned that most of the men who constantly watched pornography were using it as a defense mechanism against mental challenges like stress, depression, and anxiety and to regulate their mood. This finding supports the ideas expressed by Gilbert and Lamb (2018) that watching pornography can be connected with other psychological issues. The study further revealed that the consumption of sexually explicit material can also lead to impulsive sexual behaviors, which also supports the observation made by Gilbert and Lamb (2018) that pornography can lead to unhealthy sexual behavior.
Discussion
The ideas discussed in these materials are accurate and supported by other scholarly materials. In their research, Arantes, Barros, and Oliveira (2020) found out that extradyadic behavior affects sex in relationships. This finding connects with the claim by Fletcher et al. (2019) that extramarital affairs can adversely affect sex in a romantic relationship and, at the same time, it can affect marriage. Similarly, the observation made by van Lankveld et al. (2018) that emotional intimacy plays a key role in increasing sexual intimacy in a romantic relationship is also an observation that corroborates the ideas shared by Fletcher et al. (2019). In this text, Fletcher et al. (2019) state that one factor that affects romantic relationships is the lack of intimacy. As such, the lack of intimacy can affect romantic relationships in many ways, including simulating the sexual desire of the couple towards each other. Sex in romantic relationships can also be involved in cases where couples use sex as a tool to manipulate the other partner in a relationship. Another observation made in this research is that pornography is one factor that can affect an individual’s sexual behavior and, in return, affect their romantic relationships. While some of the observations made in these studies are open to criticism, what comes out clearly and that can be supported by other literature is that exposure to pornography leads to irresponsible sexual behavior and can also have a psychological effect on the consumer of this explicit material Fletcher et al., (2019). Thus, it is clear that several factors affect sex in a marriage relationship.
Conclusion
From the literature review, it is evident that sex in a romantic relationship can be affected by several factors. Some of the discussed factors are extradyadic behavior, emotional intimacy, the perception the couple has of sex in their relationship, and consumption of sexually explicit material. When these issues affect sex, they further affect the romantic relationship. Moreover, some factors like pornography can also affect a person psychologically and in their perception of sex, thus leading to unhealthy sexual behavior. What is emerging from this observation is that one of the steps toward a healthy romantic relationship is healthy sexual behavior. One way of having a healthy sexual relationship is to begin by avoiding unhealthy sexual behavior like the consumption of pornography. The second approach to healthy sexual behavior is having proper and fruitful communication with a romantic partner. This approach can solve challenges like when a partner is using sex as a tool to manipulate another in a relationship. The third and most important step is to go for counseling to seek help when one is addicted to unhealthy sexual behavior or when sex becomes an issue in a romantic relationship.
References
Arantes, J., Barros, F., & Oliveira, H. M. (2020). Extradyadic behaviors and gender: How do they relate with sexual desire, relationship quality, and attractiveness? Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02554
Bergenfeld, I., Cheong, Y. F., Minh, T. H., Trang, Q. T., & Yount, K. M. (2022). Effects of exposure to sexually explicit material on sexually violent behavior among first-year university men in Vietnam. PloS one, 17(9), e0275246. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0275246
Fletcher, G. J. O., Simpson, J. A., Campbell, L., & Overall, N. C. (2019). The Science of Intimate Relationships. United Kingdom: Wiley.
Gilbert, J. & Lamb, S. (2018). The Cambridge Handbook of Sexual Development: Childhood and Adolescence. Cambridge University Press.
Lin, W. H., Liu, C. H., & Yi, C. C. (2020). Exposure to sexually explicit media in early adolescence is related to risky sexual behavior in emerging adulthood. PloS one, 15(4), e0230242. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0230242
Privara, M., & Bob, P. (2023). Pornography Consumption and Cognitive-Affective Distress. The Journal of nervous and mental disease, 211(8), 641–646. https://doi.org/10.1097/NMD.0000000000001669
van Lankveld, J., Jacobs, N., Thewissen, V., Dewitte, M., & Verboon, P. (2018). The associations of intimacy and sexuality in daily life: Temporal dynamics and gender effects within romantic relationships. Journal of social and personal relationships, 35(4), 557–576. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407517743076
Zhang, W. (2022). The role of sex in intimate relationships: An exploration based on Martin
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Instructions
Postion Paper
In Week 3 you conducted an annotated bibliography using the course competencies as a guide in choosing the articles. For this week you will take that information and incorporate it into a final paper. The paper is not just the article review from the bibliography it is a culmination of what you have learned over the course and as in Week 3 use the course competencies as a guide to developing your paper.
Human Sexuality- A Comprehensive Exploration of Behavior, Development, and Gender
The major theories associated with human sexual behavior.
The history of sexual behavior.
The features associated with male and female anatomies, physiologies, and sexual responses.
Commonalities and differences in sexuality across childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.
Gender roles in the expression of human sexuality.
The current trends in human sexuality.
The interplay between intimate relationships and sexual behavior.
The occurrence and course of sexual disease and dysfunction.
The features of sexual coercion (e.g., implicit and explicit).
The role of the media in the promulgation of sexually explicit materials.
The aspects of culture, environment, and geography that impact sexual behavior.
Your paper should adhere to the following guidelines: