Intro to Psychology Chapter 11

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Coon, Introduction to Psychology, 16th Edition. © 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated,
or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. 1
Coon, Introduction to Psychology, 16th Edition. © 2022 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or
posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Introduction to
Psychology,
16th Edition
Chapter 11: Sex, Gender, and
Sexuality

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or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Icebreaker: Pair-Share
Move into groups of two or three and discuss the following:
1. Do you believe we define our gender, or does our gender define us? Why?
2. How can you use your knowledge of sex and gender to develop healthy
sexual relationships?

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Chapter Objectives (1 of 3)
By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:
11.1.1 Describe the four basic dimensions of biological sex, including the role of
hormones in shaping sexual development prenatally and postnatally.
11.1.2 Define sexual orientation and outline its causes.
11.2.1 Outline what is meant by gender identity, including the factors that
influence it and what it means for an individual to be gender variant.
11.2.2 Explain what is meant by the term gender role.
11.2.3 Define psychological androgyny and explain its advantages.

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11.3.1 Contrast females and males in terms of their sexual response.
11.3.2 Explain how sexual attitudes and behaviors have changed over time.
11.4.1 Outline the factors that contribute to healthy sexual relationships.
11.4.2 Outline the most common sexual dysfunctions.
11.4.3 Define what is meant by a paraphilic disorder, and provide some examples.
11.4.4 Define what is meant by sexual harassment, and provide some examples.

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11.4.5 Define what constitutes rape, and what is meant by “rape myths.”
11.5.1 Explain what is meant by civic engagement.
11.5.2 Outline the individual and societal benefits associated with civic
engagement.
11.5.3 Create a plan to become more civically engaged.

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posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. 6
Unit 1
Dimensions of Biological Sex

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Dimensions of Biological Sex
Genetic sex: Indicated by XX or XY chromosomes
Hormonal sex: Predominance of estrogens or androgens
Gonadal sex: Ovaries or testes
Genital sex: Clitoris and vagina in females; penis and scrotum in
males

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Genetic Sex
Genetic sex: Determine at the instant of conception
• Two X chromosomes initiate female development
• An X plus a Y chromosome produces a male
• Variations occur because of too many or too few sex chromosome
• Klinefelter’s syndrome: Boy is born XXY
• Turner’s syndrome: Girls with only one X and no Y

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Hormonal and Gonadal Sex
Gonads: Sex glands that affect sexual development and behavior
• Secrete estrogens (female hormones) and androgens (male hormones)
• Testes: Gonads in males
• Ovaries: Gonads in females
Gender-specific anatomy is due to presence or absence of testosterone
Intersex person: Ambiguous sexual anatomy

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Prenatal
Development
of the
Reproductive
Organs

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Genital Sex
Primary sexual characteristics: The sexual and reproductive organs
• Vagina, ovaries, uterus in females
• Penis, testes, and scrotum in males
Secondary sexual characteristics: Superficial physical features that appear at
puberty
• Breast development, broadening hips, and changes in body shape in females
• Facial and body hair, deepening voice in males

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Sexual Orientation
An enduring pattern of emotional and erotic attraction
• Heterosexual: Straight, romantically, and erotically attracted to members
of the opposite sex
• Gay or lesbian: Men and women who are attracted to members of the
same sex
• Bisexual: Attracted to both men and women
• Asexual: Little or no sexual attraction in the first place, but can experience
sexual desire

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Origins of Sexual Orientation
No single gene determines sexual orientation.
• Like intelligence, likely many genes that contribute to sexual orientation
• Epigenetics: Variations in prenatal hormone levels can influence expression of
genes that contribute to development of sexual orientation
• Little difference in those raised by same-sex parents

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Stability of Sexual Orientation
• Deep part of personal identity
• Usually quite stable, but sexual behavior can change during the course of a
lifetime
• Homosexuality, bisexuality, and asexuality all fall within normal range of sexual
orientation

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Discussion Activity 1
As a class, consider the ethical implications of taking a binary approach to
biological sex.
1. Should an intersex person who is genetically male but who appears female be
allowed to compete with other women? Why or why not?
2. What about an intersex person who is genetically female but who appears
male? Do you find differing standards in your own mind? Why might this be?

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Unit 2
Gender Identities and Roles

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Gender Identity
• Gender: Culturally determined and refers to characteristics associated with
masculinity and femininity
• Gender identity: Subjective sense of being male or female in appearance,
behavior, and attitudes
• Gender variant: Preferred gender does not correspond to traditional norms
• Transgender: Do not identify with biological sex assigned at birth

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Origins of Gender Identity
Role of Biology
• Biological biasing effect: Prenatal
exposure to sex hormones may alter
body, nervous system, and later
behavior patterns
• Differences in skills that exist between
women and men are based on
averages
• Performance gaps often linked to
socialization, opportunities, and power
Role of Learning
• Gender role socialization: Learning
gender behaviors regarded as
appropriate for one’s sex
• Instrumental behaviors:
Aggressiveness, hide emotions,
prepare for work world
• Expressive behaviors: Socialized
for indirect aggression and
motherhood

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Gender Roles
A favored pattern of behavior expected of each sex
Gender role stereotypes: Oversimplified beliefs about what men and women are
actually like
• Males: Strong, fast, aggressive, dominant, achieving
• Females: Sensitive, intuitive, passive, emotional, maternal
Gender role strain: Stress associated with conflict between your personal reality
and the expectations of gender role

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Psychological Androgyny (1 of 2)
Having both masculine and feminine traits
Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI)
• Identified typically masculine and feminine traits, then surveyed thousands of
people in how each trait applied to them
• 50 percent fell into traditional categories
• 15 percent scored higher on traits of the opposite sex
• 35 percent were androgynous

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Psychological Androgyny (2 of 2)
Androgyny and stress:
• Greater adaptability and higher
levels of emotional intelligence
• Use instrumental and
emotionally expressive
capacities to enhance lives and
relationships

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Discussion Activity 2: Optimist/Pessimist
Move into groups of two and consider the roles of nature and nurture. One
person should build an argument for the first point. The other person should build
an argument for the second point.
1. Gender role socialization reflects all the pressures from parents, peers, and
cultural forces that urge boys to be boys and girls to be girls.
2. Sexes are naturally different and should be treated that way.

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Unit 3
Sexual Responses, Attitudes, and Behaviors

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Human Sexual Response (1 of 3)
Attitudes toward sexuality have evolved very quickly.
Sex drive: Strength of one’s motivation to engage in sexual behavior
• Modulated by cultural values, attitudes, and sexual experience
• Castration: Abolishes sexual activity in inexperienced animals
• Sterilization: Surgery to make a person infertile
• Masturbation: Self-stimulation that causes sexual pleasure or orgasm

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Difference in sex drive:
• Males: Based on
testosterone levels
• Females: Related to
estrogen levels, although
testosterone also plays a
role
Sexual intercourse across age groups

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• Masturbation: Part of
psychosexual
development, provides
healthy substitutes for
sexual involvement
• Alcohol: Acts as a
depressant, increases
arousal but suppresses
orgasm in women and
erection in men
Masturbation across age groups

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Sexual Arousal
Erogenous zones: Productive of pleasure or erotic desire
Masters and Johnson identified four phases of sexual response:
1. Excitement: First level, initial signs or arousal
2. Plateau: Physical arousal intensifies
3. Orgasm: Climax and release of sexual excitement
4. Resolution: Return to lower levels of tension and arousal

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Female Response
Excitement: Marked by complex
pattern of changes in body
Plateau: Feelings of arousal more
intense
Orgasm: Muscular contraction of
vagina, uterus, and related
structures
Resolution: Return to lower levels
of tension and arousal

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Male Response
Excitement: Signaled by erection of
the penis
Plateau: Feelings of arousal more
intense
Orgasm: Accompanied by ejaculation,
release of sperm and seminal fluid
Resolution: A second orgasm is
impossible during refractory period

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Comparing Male and Female Responses
Female
• Move through sexual phases more
slowly
• During masturbation, 70 percent
reach orgasm in 4 minutes or less
• Vagina adjusts to the size of the penis
• Capable of multiple orgasms
Male
• Can experience all four stages in as
little as 3 minutes
• Penis size varies while flaccid, but
less variation during erection
• Only about 5 percent achieve multiple
orgasm, and only after refractory
period

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Sexual Attitudes and Behavior (1 of 2)

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Sexual Attitudes and Behavior (2 of 2)
1. Greater tolerance for sexual activity, including by others
2. Abandoning the double standard, or different rules to judge appropriateness of
sexual behavior
− Greater ability to express sexuality
− The right to say “no”
− Relationships based on personality, interest, and caring
3. Number of partners has increased as people stay single longer
4. Internet pornography as a supernormal stimulus

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STDs and Safer Sex (1 of 2)
Infections passed form one person to another by intimate physical contact
• Many underestimate their risk because of indirect contact with many other
people in the sexual contact chain.
• Many STDs are asymptomatic and spread without knowledge.
Can damage reproductive organs, resulting in infertility in both men and women,
lead to immune deficiency, or cause death

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STDs and Safer Sex (2 of 2)
To protect your health:
• Abstain
• Have one mutually faithful, uninfected
partner
• Use a condom
• Discuss contraception with partner
• Discuss sexual health prior to
engaging in sex
• Be selective
• Reduce number of partners
• Do not engage while intoxicated
• Avoid injecting drugs

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Sexual Attitudes and Behavior Among
Young People (1 of 2)
Trends:
• Growing more conservative when engaging in sexual intercourse at a
young age
• Higher rate of contraceptive use
• Declining rates of teen pregnancy and abortion
• Delaying the age of first encounter

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Sexual Attitudes and Behavior Among
Young People (2 of 2)
More liberal sexual script: A mental plan that guides sexual behavior
• Friends with benefits: Sexual relations without romantic involvement
• Hook-up: Two people having sex who are more or less strangers
• Traditional: Stress courtship, romance, and marriage
Traditional focus on intercourse is fading in favor of oral sex, which is seen as
less risky and more acceptable

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Personal Reflection
Young people, especially, tend to underestimate their risk for sexually transmitted
diseases. Take a few minutes to write your thoughts down on the following:
1. Why might a younger person think they are less likely to contract an STD if
they have only had one partner?
2. What would you tell a younger sibling or other relative about asymptomatic
STDs and what they could do to guard against them.

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Unit 4
Sexual Relationships

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Fostering Positive
Sexual Relationships (1 of 2)
Sex is a form of communication within a relationship, part of a strong and caring
relationship.
• Requires responsiveness at an emotional level
Elements of a healthy sexual relationship
1. Sexual anticipation
2. Valuing one’s sexuality
3. Believing you deserve sexual pleasure
4. Valuing intimacy

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Fostering Positive
Sexual Relationships (2 of 2)
To foster intimacy and communication:
• Be open about feelings: Always be ready to talk with your partner.
• Don’t be defensive: Be willing to apologize when its your fault.
• Don’t be a “right fighter”: Resolve issues, and don’t be right or wrong.
• Recognize that constructive anger is appropriate: Focus on issues and ways to
resolve them.
• Try to see things through your partner’s eyes: Think about your partner’s
perspective.
• Don’t be a mind-reader: Don’t assume you know what someone is thinking.

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Sexual Dysfunctions
Desire disorder: Little to no sexual motivation or desire, or has too much
Arousal disorders: Desires sexual activity but does not become aroused
Orgasm
disorders:
Person does not have orgasm, or has it too soon or late
Sexual pain
disorders:
Experiences pain that makes intercourse uncomfortable

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Desire Disorders
Defined in relation to a person’s age, sex, partner, expectations, and sexual
history
Hypoactive sexual desire:
• Loss of desire must be persistent
• Person must be troubled by it
Reasons may include physical causes such as illness and hormonal difficulties,
and psychological factors such as depression, loss of attraction, or marital
problems

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Arousal Disorders
Erectile disorder: Inability to maintain an erection, but desire sex, for at least six
months
• Occasional erectile problems are normal
• Psychogenic (emotional) factors, or organic factors
Female sexual interest/arousal disorder: Little to no physical arousal to sexual
stimulation
• Primary or secondary
• Causes similar to those of men

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Orgasm Disorder
Failure to reach orgasm, or reaches orgasm too soon or late
Female orgasmic disorder: Persistent inability to reach orgasm during
lovemaking
• May reach through masturbation
Delayed ejaculation: Delay or absence of orgasm
Premature ejaculation: Man cannot tolerate high levels of excitement at the
plateau stage of arousal

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Sexual Pain Disorder
Genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder:
Dyspareunia: Pain in genitals before, during, or after sexual intercourse
• Rare in males
Vaginismus: Muscle spasms of the vagina
• Results in fear of intercourse, or high levels of anxiety

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Atypical Sexual Behavior
Paraphilic disorder: Sexual practices that cause guilt, anxiety, or discomfort for
one or more participants
• Fetishes
• Exhibitionism
• Voyeurism
• Frotteuristic disorder
• Pedophilia
• Sexual masochism
• Sexual sadism

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Sexual Harassment
Unwanted sexual comments, gestures, or actions are directed at people because
of biological sex, expression of gender identity, or sexual orientation
• As many as 22 percent of women and 8 percent of mean have been victims
• High school and college students experience as well as adults
• Consequences are emotional (embarrassment, stress, fear), diminished
confidence, mental health issues

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Sexual Consent and the Crime of Rape
Acquaintance (date) rape: About half of rapes committed against college
students
Forcible rape: Results in bodily injury
Rape myths:
• No really means yes
• Women enjoy it
• She was asking for it
• She went home with a man on the first date

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As a class, consider the following:
1. To what extent do social media, movies, music videos, and video games
contribute to the perpetuation of rape myths?
2. What about gender roles and stereotypes?
3. What are some of the things you can do to manage the impact of how women
are portrayed in these industries?

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Unit 5
Psychology and Your Skill Set: Civic Engagement

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Being Civic-Minded
Civic engagement: Individual and collective actions designed to identify and
address issues of public concern
• Improving communities
• Raising awareness
• Organizing or participating in fundraising
• Political action
Creates greater overall health and well-being of citizens, lower rates of crime,
economic prosperity, more effective government

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Skilled Civic Engagement
Volunteerism and civic engagement require skills relevant to the workplace:
• Communication
• Understanding of diversity
• Teamwork
• Leadership

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Generation Me or We?
Younger generation are active in social causes that matter to them
• Report more volunteering than parents’ generation
• Less prejudice with respect to race and sexual orientation
• Technologies allows “engagement” from a distance
• Web-based resources can mobilize groups around the globe

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Break into groups of three or four and discuss the following:
1. What volunteer opportunities are you aware of on or near campus?
2. Which clubs and organizations do you participate in? Why did you choose
those?
3. What skills are you learning through volunteerism that can be transferred to
the workplace?

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Self-Assessment
What are the four basic dimensions of biological sex?
Can you outline the meaning of gender identity and the factors that influence it?
What types of attitudes and behaviors shape sexual response in women? Men?
How have sexual attitudes changed over time?
What is the relationship between civic engagement and our views of sex and
sexual behaviors?

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Summary (1 of 3)
Now that the lesson has ended, you should have learned how to:
• Describe the four basic dimensions of biological sex, including the role of
hormones in shaping sexual development prenatally and postnatally.
• Define sexual orientation and outline its causes.
• Outline what is meant by gender identity, including the factors that influence it
and what it means for an individual to be gender variant.
• Explain what is meant by the term gender role.

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Summary (2 of 3)
• Define psychological androgyny and explain its advantages.
• Contrast females and males in terms of their sexual response.
• Explain how sexual attitudes and behaviors have changed over time.
• Outline the factors that contribute to healthy sexual relationships.
• Outline the most common sexual dysfunctions.

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Summary (3 of 3)
• Define what is meant by a paraphilic disorder, and provide some examples.
• Define what is meant by sexual harassment, and provide some examples.
• Define what constitutes rape, and what is meant by “rape myths.”
• Explain what is meant by civic engagement.
• Outline the individual and societal benefits associated with civic engagement.
• Create a plan to become more civically engaged.

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