Background: Social media technology has provided platforms for enhanced human communication and expanded opportunities for self-expression. Despite the numerous gains, this social networking media, come with myriads of limitations; one being the tendency to be abused and/or misused, especially by young people or the young at heart. This study examined how social networking media influence the sexual behaviours of university undergraduates in Nigeria. -/- Materials and Methods: The survey research method was adopted. A sample size of 396 students was (...) determined using the Taro Yamane’s formula. The study was anchored on the Technological Determinism theory. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of 0.99 through test-retest method. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics with the aid of SPSS v25 software. -/- Results: Findings showed, amongst others that, undergraduates in Nigerian universities are largely exposed to a substantial amount of sexual contents on various social media networks; and that this exposure negatively influences their psychology towards sex as manifested in the area of dating before marriage as a result of indulgence in interactive and romantic sites. -/- Conclusion and Recommendations: The study recommends the introduction of social media education in higher institutions to help enlighten students on the responsible use of these technologies to minimize the inherent weaknesses and maximize the intrinsic values of utilising these media platforms. (shrink)

This article considers how schools are addressing harmful sexual behaviour occurring between students. In the context of policy and school inspection, driven by student disclosures of sexual harm, schools are being required to evidence responses to sexual harassment and abuse within and beyond school. Presenting findings from 14 school audits the article highlights evidence of the levers where schools claim they are achieving well and those where they self-assessed lowest. The findings are based on analysis of (...) 14 school assessments. The findings evidence that schools more readily develop statutory policy processes and are less equipped to address cultural elements driving harmful and unsafe environments. The findings have implications for how schools are supported to address sexual harm and what drives changes in this area. (shrink)

This study examines the knowledge of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among male youths in Malaysia. A self-administered survey was carried out on a sample of 952 never-married males aged 15–24 years. The respondents were asked about their knowledge of STDs, how these diseases get transmitted and their sexual behaviours. The data showed that 92% of the respondents knew of at least one STD (syphilis, gonorrhoea, chlamydia, herpes, genital warts, yeast infection, trichomoniasis or HIV/AIDS). About 95% of them knew of (...) at least one method of STD transmission. Urban and tertiary-educated male youths showed a substantially higher proportion of awareness of STDs and transmission methods compared with their rural and less-educated counterparts. The data also indicated that 10% of the study sample admitted to having had sexual experiences. There were still a large proportion of the respondents who were not aware of STDs other than syphilis and HIV/AIDS and the means of transmission, such as multiple sex partners, including those who claimed to be sexually active. Thus there is a need for more concerted efforts to disseminate information on STDs and transmission methods to a wider audience in Malaysia, especially youths in rural areas. (shrink)

SummaryA number of authors have identified multiple concurrent sexual partnerships by both men and women to lie at the root of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa. This study applies multilevel models to Demographic and Health Survey data collected during 2003–2008 in 20 sub-Saharan African countries to examine the influence of social and cultural context on involvement with multiple sexual partnerships in the region, above and beyond the effects of individual characteristics. The findings provide support for the ecological (...) argument that health behaviours are shaped and determined by societal conditions, in addition to the effects of individual and household characteristics. Involvement with multiple sex partners is most prevalent in societies in which sexual norms are widely permissive and where polygyny is common. Individual autonomy is substantial and attitudes towards sexuality are more liberal among men and women who live in communities in which sexual norms are widely permissive. Men and women who are most likely to have multiple sex partners in the sub-Saharan region are those who initiated sexual activity earlier and those who have the individual attributes that bring to them more rights and/or decision-making autonomy, but not necessarily more financial resources and economic security. On the other hand, involvement with multiple partners is determined by cultural norms and social change. The findings suggest a number of opportunities for more effective policy and programmatic responses to curb the prevalence of multiple partnerships in sub-Saharan Africa. (shrink)

The coincident facts among uncivilised peoples.--The nature of a cultural change.--Necessity in human affairs.

Evolutionary changes and interspecific diversity in sexual coercion and autonomy are often linked to indirect selection on mate preferences. Yet, this approach overlooks the small fraction of indirect selection in total selection on mate choice and assumes unnecessarily specific conditions in the recent ‘autonomy-enhancing’ risk-reduction model. This paper proposes a more parsimonious approach based on direct selection and basic signalling theory, incorporating ecological variables to better explain sexual biodiversity. Particularly, the spatial dimensionality of mating environments is emphasized for (...) its role in enhancing sexual freedom through both diminishing monopolization and elevating escape potential from sexual coercion. Empirical evidence, ranging from waterfowl to humans, seems to better align with this ecologically constrained signalling perspective. Furthermore, it suggests that choosers keep coercion risk at ecological baseline by leveraging their escape potential. This repositions intriguing protective elements like bowerbirds' constructions as courtship features that have been bargained to respect sexual autonomy rather than enhancing it through indirect selection. It implies that courtship induced risks, such as reduced mobility, may in principle increase substantially precisely because they are offset by protective measures. Future research could reveal the prevalence of such risk-balancing strategies, advancing our understanding of mating dynamics. This work suggests new theoretical and empirical research avenues within the ecology of mating dynamics. (shrink)

Sexual behaviour is the result of an interplay between distinct neural inhibitory and excitatory mechanisms. Individual differences in sexual excitation and sexual inhibition are proposed to play an important role in the processes sustaining the regulation of sexual behaviour. While much research has focused on the neural correlates of response inhibition, highlighting a prominent role of the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), very little is known regarding the neural mechanisms underlying different aspects of sexual (...) inhibition. Here, we experimentally combined functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to: (i) test the functional role of IFG during motivational and cognitive sexual inhibition; and (ii) reveal whether this IFG involvement in sexual inhibitory processes depends on sexual excitation and sexual inhibition as traits. Twenty-two participants performed an Approach-Avoidance (AA) and a Negative Affective Priming (NAP) paradigm to assess motivational and cognitive sexual inhibition respectively. Our fMRI study showed IFG being selectively activated during cognitive but not motivational sexual inhibition. Importantly, the level of this neural activity was modulated by individual sexual excitation scores. Interestingly, a transient disruption of IFG activity using TMS led to an improvement in cognitive, not motivational, sexual inhibition, but only when accounting for individual sexual excitation scores. These findings clearly document that sexual excitation modulates IFG activity levels during cognitive sexual inhibition, and at the same time determines the effects of TMS on IFG by improving cognitive control exclusively for individuals with high sexual excitation scores. These findings provide new insights regarding the functional role of IFG, and underscore the relevance of individual psychological differences in understanding the brain mechanisms underlying socioaffective processes. (shrink)

Research has shown that child sexual abuse (CSA) is related to suicidal behaviors in adolescence, a period in which suicide is the second leading cause of death in the U.S. Moreover, compared to other adverse childhood experiences, CSA is most consistently and strongly associated to adolescent suicidality. This highlights the urgency of assessment and treatment of survivors of CSA for suicide prevention. Not all survivors of CSA develop suicidality in adolescence. Knowing the risk and protective factors can help clinicians (...) better assess the likelihood of suicidality after CSA exposure. Common risk factors include CSA by an immediate family member, being older when CSA occurred, disruption of family environment, harmful caregiver reactions, having a mental health diagnosis, higher levels of impulsivity, and contact abuse. There is less research on protective factors than risk factors. Nonetheless, studies have shown that family support and connectedness are strong protective factors. Other protective factors include active coping, social attachment, external attribution of blame, etc. Additionally, understanding pathways from CSA exposure to suicidality is paramount for treatment. Preliminary research points to self-blame, shame, and avoidance coping as potential mechanisms. Thus, focusing on shifting the pathways can be helpful in reducing suicidality, in addition to addressing risk and protective factors and utilizing general suicide prevention protocols. This chapter will explore the relationship between CSA and adolescent suicidality, risk and protective factors, and provide treatment recommendations for suicide prevention. (shrink)

The subject of sexuality among elderly patients with dementia was examined, focusing on two main aspects: the sexual behaviour of institutionalized elderly people with dementia; and the reactions of other patients, staff and family members to this behaviour. The behaviour was found to be mostly heterosexual and ranged from love and caring to romance and outright eroticism. Reactions varied, being accepting of love and care but often objecting to erotic behaviour. Understanding of the sexual (...) needs of elderly people should become an integral part of the training and continued education of health care staff, thus helping to resolve conflicts and clarify common misconceptions. (shrink)

Muslim youths must shun free sexual behaviours. However, these actions are highly prevalent, especially among the Muslim youth. This study aimed to determine the effect of qanun (local regulations based on Islamic law), religiosity and religious education on the sexual activity of Muslim youth. The study used a case-control design carried out in the province of Aceh, which applies the qanun, and in the province of North Sumatra, which does not apply the qanun. Researchers interviewed 552 Muslim youths (...) using the snowball method and disseminating online questionnaires; data were analysed through logistic regression using Jeffeys’s Amazing Statistics Program 16 (JASP) with a confidence interval (CI) of 95%. The results of this study indicated that qanun ( p < 0.001; Exp B = 4.628), always prayed five times every day in the last 3 months ( p = 0.027; Exp B = 1.616), and looking for various information about Islamic topics ( p = 0.01; Exp B = 1.747) is associated with the prevention of sexual activity of Muslim youth. Qanun affected the prevention of sexual activities among youth; these activities were 4628 times higher in areas that do not have qanun for preventing sexual activities in Muslim youth. Muslim youth looking for various information about Islamic topics also affected the prevention of sexual activity among youth – it was 1747 times higher than those who did not seek information about various Islamic topics on preventing sexual activity in Muslim youth. Muslim youth in qanun areas were proven to have a lower sexual activity. Furthermore, Muslim youth with high religiosity (those who pray diligently and look for various information about Islamic topics) were proven to be able to prevent sexual activity. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the religiosity of Muslim youth. Contribution: This article is expected to explain the impact of qanun, religiosity, religious education and the prevention of sexual activity among Muslim youth. This research is expected to be one of the solutions that can be applied to prevent sexual activity in Muslim youth, which is occurring increasingly. (shrink)

Sexual self-determination is considered a fundamental human right by most of us living in Western societies. While we must abide by laws regarding consent and coercion, in general we expect to be able to engage in sexual behaviour whenever, and with whomever, we choose. For older people with dementia living in residential aged care facilities (RACFs), however, the issue becomes more complex. Staff often struggle to balance residents' rights with their duty of care, and negative attitudes towards (...) older people's sexuality can lead to residents' sexual expression being overlooked, ignored, or even discouraged. In particular, questions as to whether residents with dementia are able to consent to sexual activity or physically intimate relationships pose a challenge to RACF staff, and current legislation does little to assist them. This paper will address these issues, and will argue that, while every effort should be made to ensure that no resident comes to harm, RACFs must respect the rights of residents with dementia to make decisions about their sexuality, intimacy and physical relationships. (shrink)

Sexual behaviour and mate choice are key intervening variables between attachment and life histories. We propose a set of predictions relating attachment, reproductive strategies, and mate choice criteria.

Sex is an important part of human life. It is a source of pleasure and intimacy, and is integral to many people’s self-identity. This chapter examines the opportunities and challenges posed by the use of AI in how humans express and enact their sexualities. It does so by focusing on three main issues. First, it considers the idea of digisexuality, which according to McArthur and Twist (2017) is the label that should be applied to those ‘whose primary sexual identity (...) comes through the use of technology’, particularly through the use of robotics and AI. While agreeing that this phenomenon is worthy of greater scrutiny, the chapter questions whether it is necessary or socially desirable to see this as a new form of sexual identity. Second, it looks at the role that AI can play in facilitating human-to-human sexual contact, focusing in particular on the use of self-tracking and predictive analytics in optimising sexual and intimate behaviour. There are already a number of apps and services that promise to use AI to do this, but they pose a range of ethical risks that need to be addressed at both an individual and societal level. Finally, it considers the idea that a sophisticated form of AI could be an object of love. Can we be truly intimate with something that has been ‘programmed’ to love us? Contrary to the widely-held view, this chapter argues that this is indeed possible. (shrink)

While studies on contextual coitus verses interpretations have been explored by many scholars, there is a paucity of research addressing the theme holistically and spotlighting the aspects of moral ethics of its communication. To fill this lacuna, this study aims to analyse the communication ethics of coitus words in the Qur’an. Two main questions are discussed in this study. Firstly, what is the semantic meaning of coitus in the Qur’an? Secondly, why does the Qur’an employ certain terminologies to convey the (...) topic of coitus? This study applies a case study design to analyse the word ‘coitus’ in the verses of the Qur’an holistically. The results show that the Qur’an utilises 12 keywords related to coitus for the purpose of fostering the communication ethics of the Arab community at the time of revelation. Moreover, this study found that the Qur’an uses those specific keywords to respond to the sexual behaviour of pre-Islamic Arab community, narration of eroticism in other scriptures and gender inequality in sexuality. This study resolves that the words of ‘coitus’ in the Qur’an have implications for the emergence of Quranic communication ethics, which respects the aspects of comprehensiveness, politeness, analogy, aesthetics, intensity and gender equality. These six aspects form sexual communication ethics that are probed from a humanist perspective.Contribution: This article contends to unify the concept of theology and the principles of communication ethics. In particular, this study provides a theoretical contribution to the ethics of sexual communication that is sourced from the worldview of Qur’anic theology. Also, the methodology of this study can be a prototype of semantic analysis research that discusses certain topics and spot important keywords around that topic. (shrink)

This book has become well established as the leading international reference on sexual deviation. The third edition builds on the outstanding success of its predecessors, and offers readable, and the most up-to-date accounts of findings in the clinical, experimental, and academic aspects of all fields dealing with sexual deviation. Throughout the book there is emphasis on clinical treatments, supported by a summary of the latest experimental findings on the biology of sexual behaviour Distinguished practitioners and academic (...) experts discuss the most recent advances in their fields from a psychiatric, legal, psychotherapeutic, and behaviour therapy point of view, particularly in relation to sex offenders. They also cover significant advances in the psychotherapeutic treatment of gender disorders and homosexuality. There is also a new section on child sexual abuse and the resulting effects on adults. Now available in paperback at a low price, the book will remain required reading for all professionals dealing with sexual deviationpsychiatrists, psychoanalysts, clinical psychologists, counsellors, forensic psychiatrists, lawyers, magistrates, probation officers, and criminologists. From reviews of the second edition: "Psychoanalysts will doubtless enthuse over this book" "The psychoanalysts have provided one of the few beacons in the otherwise unlit domain of sexual perversions" New England Journal of Medicine Nov. 1979 "All of the chapters were well written" American Journal of Psychiatry Jan. 1980 "Forensic aspects are well covered with an up-to-date account of the British and American Law and a detailed description of the treatment of sex offenders using dynamic psychotherapy. It is a valuable reference book" |s British Journal of Sexual Medicine Vol.7 Oct. 1980, "It is clear that a book which is so varied, so wide in its coverage and which arouses in parts strong agreement and in other parts strong diagreement, merits serious and prolonged study and attention" |s International Journal of Psychoanalysis 1981. (shrink)

_ Source: _Volume 28, Issue 2, pp 77 - 102 Hobbes has long been associated with the sexual ‘libertinism’ of the Restoration period. The connections that are commonly made are crude, misrepresenting his philosophy; moreover, the attitude to sexual matters expressed in many of his published works was quite puritanical. Yet there are elements of his thought that could be taken to support a libertine agenda: hostility to Augustinian teaching on lust and chastity; the idea that marriage laws (...) are merely human; a recognition of self-regarding elements in sexual psychology; and the idea that desires in themselves are not sins. On this last point, however, Hobbes’s distinction between desires and intentions to act, combined with his account of the role of imagination in desire, does make it possible to attribute to him a distinctly non-libertine theory of how sexual behaviour is modified in civil society. (shrink)

This philosophical study examines the way in which we think, argue, feel and act about sex. By extension, the author also relates this to the problems of morality and sexual behaviour in society.

Doctor/patient sexual contact has become a focal ethical issue of the 1990s. Guidelines or codes of ethics have been issued by various Medical Boards, prohibiting or regulating such conduct In some jurisdictions in Australia and elsewhere, such conduct has been deemed an offence under certain conditions. Mandatory reporting provisions may also apply. A clear profile of offending doctors and their areas of specialisation is emerging from various studies. The patient profile is less clear. The potential for harm to both (...) the patient and the offending doctor is an issue of concern, as is the apparently ineffective role of education in changing some doctor’s behaviour. The issue of sexual contact with former patients remains a grey area. (shrink)

Even with the act of birth, we, as human beings are “assigned” different” identities that differ from our wishes. The same identities that we are assigned at birth continue to be further moulded and shaped through the process of socialization. Even so, sometimes we even discredit or “give up” on those identities entirely. The focal point of this thesis is placed upon the human sexuality, culture, and society, and the ways the socio-cultural context influence the shaping of human sexuality. Hence, (...) my efforts to hirghlight the enormous influence of the culture over the modelling of the human sexuality. In fact, the aim of this academic presentation is to discredit the traditional claims (that do not possess evidence of the claim) that sexual desire, i.e., sexuality as a whole, is treated as a kind of given or genetically predisposed occurrence (also referring to heterosexuality as the sole, healthy sexual desire). In the same notion, I intend to unveil the influence of the social and cultural factors in the shaping of the sexual behaviour, which are rather significant factors that have been greatly ignored throughout history. The sexual behaviours of people hold certain meanings – people use and express their sexuality in a variety of ways. To people, there is more to sexual activity than just biology. In that context, we shall consider culture as the rudimentary determinant in the process of the formation of human sexuality. In the light of such occurrences, the need for a more exact examination of the role of the culture in the shaping of human sexuality arises. Besides impacting the shape of human sexuality, culture is an inevitable influencer of the gender self-identification in time and space. (shrink)

The portrayal of sexuality in folktale course-books that are prescribed for secondary school learners in Zimbabwe is indeed a cause for concern. Not much attention, if any, has been given to exploring the portrayal of ‘sexuality’ especially in ChiShona prescribed course-books. This article qualitatively explored through content and discourse analysis the portrayal of ‘sexuality’ in folktales prescribed course-books based on an Afrocentric perspective of Unhu and Ubuntu. The study sought to determine whether course-books are an asset or a liability for (...) the socialisation of learners of both genders especially at the critical adolescence stage of development. This undertaking assessed gender attributes, norms, values, and behaviour patterns proffered in school course-books. The examination of the ‘sexuality’ portrayed in these course-books was based on the assumption that education is value-laden. The gender value inherent in these course-books being a vaccine for the social ills like gender inequalities bedevilling Shona communities. The major finding was that the portrayal of ‘sexuality’ in the course-books analysed in this study shows that they are more of a liability. The article recommended a gender discourse that evaluates and critically analyses the gender portrayals in the course-books to avoid losing the gender equality milestones achieved so far in Zimbabwe.Contribution: The study examined sexuality sensibilities secondary school learners are exposed to through the authority of folktale prescribed course-books: Hodza’s (1983) Ngano Dzamatambidzanwa and Fortune’s (ed. 1983) Ngano Volume 4. It adopted the Afrocentric perspective of Unhu and Ubuntu to assess the impact of these instructional materials on the learners’ socialisation processes. (shrink)

In this book, Piderit argues that a natural law approach to morality provides a grounded pathway toward marriage, and shows why these fairly traditional practices help young people find a partner to whom he or she can realistically promise love "until death do us part.".

Cognitive behaviour therapy is the leading psychological treatment for many psychiatric conditions, including anxiety, depression, obsessional disorders, and sexual dysfunction. This innovative book is a practical guide to using the therapy, covering each disorder individually. Particular attention is paid to overcoming problems encountered during treatment.

Most Africans are generally in sync in their communal rejection of certain perceived moral threats – in this case, allegedly ‘unnatural’ sexual orientations – as immoral and un-African. It is the truthfulness of these assumptions that I seek to question. Thus, in this essay, I question the assumption that nonheterosexuality is immoral and un-African. To do this, I attempt to isolate the traditional African outlook on alleged ‘unnatural’ sexual orientations, the communal drive towards this outlook and the implications (...) of both for individual freedom. Specifically, I introduce what I call communal dictatorships as the driving force behind the labels usually placed on nonconformal attitudes regarding sexual behaviours and orientations. I also examine what that means for the individual and whether such labelling is philosophically justified. I shall employ the conversational method of African philosophy as the methodology of this essay. (shrink)

In what Arjun Appadurai has dubbed the ‘colonial imaginary’ issues of femininity, and who possessed it, were of prime importance. An orientalizing sociology sought to distinguish, and indeed to fix, differences between metropolitan and indigenous women as a rhetoric of hierarchy which secured proper and western femininity to white women. One critical route which colonial commentators and authorities took to produce that knowledge was to measure women's proximity to the practice of prostitution, a means which permitted discussion and judgement of (...) racialized sexualities as well as of proper models of feminine behaviour. This article will explore the ways in which the new sociology of the Victorian period, wielded in a colonial context, served to separate women through race-based ideas of sexual behaviour and sexual order. It will deal with British India in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. (shrink)

When behaviours or character traits match sociocultural expectation, heteronomy is a natural suspicion. A further natural suspicion is that the behaviours or character traits are unhealthy for the agent or for objectives of social justice and liberation. Second Wave feminism therefore includes a robust narrative of unease about female self-sexualisation. Third Wave feminism has more upbeat narratives of the latter, in terms of confidence and empowerment. The preceding tension is refracted through cases such as Ronda Rousey and ‘derby girls’, as (...) well as those of many less ostentatious women. It is argued that such self-sexualisation can be autonomous as opposed to heteronomous. It is argued, furthermore, that it is not a priori unhealthy for the agent and that autonomous female self-sexualisation admits of degrees of self-consciousness and articulacy. At the same time, such self-sexualisation takes place within gendered social structures, with consequences that legitimate the reinvocation of Second Wave motifs such as the commodification of female sexuality and the privileging of precise images of female sexuality. (shrink)

Should positional sexual misconduct (sexual advances or interaction where one party is known, or should be known, to have a significant power over the other) be included in the list of morally forbidden behaviours? I explore benefits and costs of this moral reform with the help of J. S. Mill.