Chapter 4
Similarities and Differences in Our
Sexual Responses
For use with the text,
Human Sexuality Today,
5th edition.
Bruce M. King
Slides by Callista Lee
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King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall
Measurement of sexual responses
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Masters & Johnson recorded over 10,000
sexual episodes leading to orgasm in the
1960’s:
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Volunteers aged 18 to 89 years old.
Masturbation, sexual intercourse, oral-genital sex
Measurements included heart rate, blood pressure,
muscle tension, respiration and brain waives.
Penile strain gauges and vaginal photoplethysmographs measured sexual arousal.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall
Models of sexual response
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Masters & Johnson – four phases
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Helen Kaplan – three phases
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Desire, Excitement, Orgasm
Feminist Scholars – Questioning the focus on
just the genitals
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Excitement, Plateau, Orgasm, Resolution
Women’s sexual responses are more complex
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall
Men’s sexual response cycle
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King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall
Desire and excitement in males
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Erection of the penis, caused by
vasocongestion of the spongy tissues within
the penis, is the first physical sign of arousal.
Myotonia – a buildup of energy in nerves and
muscles.
Increase in heart rate and blood pressure.
The scrotum thickens and spermatic cord
shortens, elevating the testicles.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall
Neural mechanisms of erection
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A reflex center low in the
spinal cord receives input
caused by stimulation to the
penis – smooth muscles of
the penis then relax,
allowing for vasocongestion.
A 2nd erection center
receives input from the
brain.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall
Plateau Phase
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High sexual arousal or varying lengths of time.
Penis and testicles become larger.
Cowper’s glands secrete a clear fluid to make
the urethra less acidic (from urine).
25% of men experience a sex-tension flush on
the skin of the chest or other areas.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall
Sexual response –
inside and out
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Changes during the
Excitement Phase
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The Plateau Phase
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The Orgasm phase
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall
Male orgasm is a rhythmic process
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Intense physical sensation and pleasure
Emission stage
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Expulsion (ejaculation) stage
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Contractions of vas deferens, prostate gland, and
seminal vessicles mix sperm with seminal fluids.
Feelings of “I’m coming.”
The urinary bladder is closed off from the urethra.
Muscles in the urethra and at the base of the penis
contract, forcing the blended semen out of the body.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall
Male resolution phase
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Resolution is the return to the unaroused state.
Physiological responses drop below the
plateau levels and into the excitement level
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If stimulation continues, he may return to plateau
and another orgasm after a “Refractory Period”
during which he cannot experience another orgasm.
Length of the Refractory Period depends on many
physiological, behavioral, emotional and age-related
factors.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall
Women’s Sexual Responses
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Differences in desire between men and women
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Several researchers have concluded that men tend
to have higher levels of desire, linked closely to
biological factors.
In women, sexual desire is closely linked to
relationship and intimacy needs such as feeling
valued, nurturance, relief from stress, procreation,
pleasure, personal power and feeling the power of
one’s partner
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall
Excitement (arousal) in women – a
precedent to feelings of pleasure
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Vasocongestion of the vaginal walls causes
vaginal lubrication by a “sweating” effect after
several minutes of stimulation.
Labia become engorged and move apart.
Walls of the vagina balloon out.
Cervix and uterus pull upward.
Engorged clitoris becomes more prominent.
The nipples erect and breasts plump up.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall
An inside view of the
aroused woman
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Early Excitement Phase
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Plateau Phase
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Orgasm Phase
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall
The female plateau phase
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Inner 2/3 of the vagina expand, uterus tilts
further, creating the “orgasmic platform.”
Outer 1/3 of the vagina is highly engorged,
very sensitive and significantly narrowed.
50 – 75% experience a sex flush of the skin.
Clitoris pulls back beneath the clitoral hood.
Areola of the breast swells.
Secretion of vaginal lubrication may slow.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall
Female sexual response, outer view
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King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall
Female orgasm and resolution
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Subjective feelings of orgasm do not differ from
the man’s except for a lack of “orgasmic
inevitability” he feels during his emission stage.
Some women experience true multiple
orgasms; full orgasms in quick succession
without dropping below the plateau levels of
physiological arousal (no refractory period).
Focus on orgasm as a goal is self-defeating.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall
Female variability in sexual response
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King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall
Female genital mutilation
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Sunna circumcision and excision (80%)
Infibulation (phraonic circumcision)
Village women perform the surgery on girls
with primitive tools and without anesthetic.
These patriarchal cultures seek to eliminate
female sexual desire so as to reduce infidelity
to secure a husband’s ownership of his wife
and children.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall
Controversies about orgasms
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5 – 10% of women never have orgasms
About 1/3 of women do not have orgasm during
sexual intercourse; of those who do, most
require simultaneous clitoral stimulation.
Regardless of the type of stimulation needed to
achieve orgasm, physiologically and orgasm is
an orgasm.
Biology and psychology affect subjective
feelings of intensity and pleasure.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall
Grafenberg spot & female ejaculations
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The G-spot, clearly identified in only 10% of
women; highly sensitive dime-sized area on
the front vaginal wall, under the bladder. It
swells when stimulated.
10 - 40% of women have experienced
ejaculation of the Skene’s glands, usually in
women with strong PC muscles and
responsive to G-spot stimulation.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall
Men and multiple orgasms
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According to the Masters and Johnson model,
men may have several “mini-orgasms” by
withholding ejaculation before having a full
“wet” orgasm. The wet orgasm is nearly always
followed by a refractory period.
Variability among individuals must be
considered; some men may experience a wet
orgasm followed by “dry” orgasms.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall
Penis size, attitudes and pleasure
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Women rarely mention penis size as a
significant factor in their ability to experience
sexual pleasure with a man.
X-rated entertainment worships Priapus,
leading many normal men to feel insecure.
Despite popular mythology, no study has found
a substantial difference in penis size between
black men and white men.
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall
Aphrodisiacs and Anaphrodisiacs
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Foods that resemble genitals – placebo effect
Spanish fly – painful inflammation can result
Alcohol – fewer inhibitions but decreased
performance
Cocaine – energy, self-confidence, erectile
failure and difficulty reaching orgasm
Marijuana – increased tactile sensitivity,
erectile problems, lower testosterone levels
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall
More about supposed aphrodisiacs
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XTC (MDMA) – euphoria, overheating, memory
loss, permanent brain damage
“Sextasy” – Viagra plus XTC – pounding
headaches, prolonged and painful erections
Yohimbine – helpful for men with
psychologically caused impotence but little
effect on men without erectile problems
Pheromone perfumes – no reliable results
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall
People with disabilities
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Sexual self-esteem
Creativity and openness to finding behaviors
for sexual expression
Understanding partners and care-givers
Emotional intimacy
Regardless of what we look like or our physical
or mental capabilities, we are all sexual beings
King, Human Sexuality Today, 5/e (c) 2005 by Prentice Hall