Human Sexuality
Human sexuality, whether expressed as heterosexual or homosexual sexual activity, is a natural phenomenon that is morally permissible. This is only true if the expression does not violate a justified moral rule or principle and the requirement of voluntary informed consent is met before the act. The notion that only sexual relations between exclusively heterosexual individuals are morally permissible is illogical (Levkovich et al., 2020). People might fall on one extreme side of the spectrum and identify as exclusively heterosexual, while others on the opposite extreme identify as exclusively homosexual. Others may fall somewhere between the two extremes and be considered as more gay, bisexual, or heterosexual over homosexual, among other things. Everybody falls along the range, and even a person’s sexuality might change with time. This paper, therefore, endeavors to highlight perceptions surrounding human sexuality and draw a line as to what healthy sexuality is.
Articles Summaries
The first article relevant to this topic was The Impact of Psychosis On Sexual Functioning by Vargas-Cáceres et al., published in 2021. This source holds that homosexual intercourse is unethical because it is abnormal, given the range of sexual preferences. Some contend that homosexual intercourse can be against the rules of nature since it detracts from the norms that most people participate in heterosexual behavior (Vargas-Cáceres et al., 2021). Moreover, this source claims that people engage in sexuality for different reasons that range from intimacy to enjoyment. It could be unnatural since homosexual intercourse, which is unable to reproduce through, serves no purpose other than reproduction, which is the inherent function of human genitalia.
Another article on human sexuality is The Causes of Human Sexual Orientation by Cook, published in 2020. This article tries to explain the cause of human sexual orientation. It holds that many factors influence human sexuality. First, the author asserts that genes play an important role in human sexuality. Secondly, the article educates that environmental factors significantly affect the type of sexuality one develops. This article is critical in this research because it offers a theological view of human sexuality to help the therapist understand how religion views sexuality.
Neuroanatomy and Function of Human Sexual Behavior: A Neglected or Unknown Issue by Calabrò et al. is another article that tries to educate as human sexuality is concerned. This article links the human brain and preferred sexual orientation. According to this article, human sexual desire and arousal are triggered by the central nervous system and the brain as the controlling unit. It further reports that endocrine is the chemical in the human brain responsible for sexual desire. This implies that the disruption of this chemical in humans affects human sexuality to a more significant extent.
Advancing an Ethic of Embodied Relational Sexuality to Guide Decision-Making in Dementia Care by Grigorovich and Kontos is another resource article for this topic. According to the article, sexual situations involving deception and compulsion are ethically unacceptable because they violate the norms of informed consent and go against the idea that using another person for sexual purposes is morally wrong. People frequently approach sexual choices by assessing whether they are consistent with moral principles. Most people think that having sex only happens between two individuals in love. Others believe that sex should be done only after marriage, but this is not usually what happens, especially in the modern world.
Approach and Avoidant Coping Among Black Transgender Women Who Have Experienced Violence: A Qualitative Analysis by Sherman et al. is also found to be relevant as human sexuality is concerned. According to Sherman et al. (2021), the informed component of free and informed consent is undermined by deception or information concealment. If physical force is used, coercion completely nullifies consent; if threats of danger are used, coercion impairs the voluntary component of informed consent. Some might assert that the abovementioned constraints are insufficient from a moral standpoint. “Our moral obligations to others in sexual interactions do not end [with consent],” (Sherman et al., 2021, p. 47). It is possible to use someone for sexual purposes before and after sexual activity (Sherman et al., 2021). Sherman et al. (2021) use Romeo’s boasting to his friends about a thorough description of his sexual approach to Juliet as an illustration. Because the person disregards his partner’s right to privacy, it is an instance of dishonesty.
Communicating With Older Adults About Sexual Issues by Levkovich et al. is another article published to educate on human sexuality. In this article, the author asserts that one can counter the naturalness defenses by claiming that homosexuality is normal. Assuming that the term “abnormal” can also refer to something artificial in that it violates natural laws, homosexuality cannot be regarded as abnormal in the animal kingdom. Bonobos, for instance, choose sexual engagement over violence to settle disputes. Research on these creatures has shown that sexual behavior can range from heterosexual to homosexual (Levkovich et al., 2020). Not only do bonobos exhibit this type of homosexual behavior, but so do penguins and other kinds of animals. Gay activities are not artificial because they happen naturally inside the animal kingdom.
Development of Sexual Assertiveness and Its Function for Human Sexuality by López Alvarado et al. educated on sex therapy as one of the factors that are required among the youth and are crucial. Sex therapy requires a thorough assessment that includes a psychiatric and behavioral evaluation. Because sexual problems may have a psychogenic or a somatic cause, this is the case. Erectile dysfunction, which is still occasionally referred to as “impotence,” is an obvious example. Its causes may include circulatory issues and performance anxiety (López Alvarado et al., 2020). The length of sex therapy typically depends on the reasons it is being used. The body and sexuality can change physically and emotionally at different stages of life. Sexual issues, including erectile dysfunction or vaginal soreness, may result from the subsequent drop in hormone levels and alterations in neurological and circulatory functioning. These physical changes frequently impact the intensity of young sex and may result in tamer reactions during the middle to late life.
Sexual and Reproductive Rights Under Attack: The Advance of Political and Moral Conservatism in Brazil by Reis Brandão and Cabral presents the liberal framework that might respond to conservative complaints by pointing out that the conservative approach to sexuality is fundamentally constrained. It initially restricts morally acceptable sexual behavior to the context of heterosexual marriage. It does not consider the range of sexual attractiveness or the possibility that a sexual partner and another person may only be attracted to one another for sexual purposes or that they may share some compassion or love (Reis Brandão & Cabral, 2019). For instance, the liberal framework permits casual sex between strangers even though it may not always be advantageous in the long run. It is up to each person to control how many times they have sex.
Comparison
The abnormal arguments, while logical, have some weaknesses and do not address the moral significance of homosexual intercourse. The claim that homosexual intercourse is out of the ordinary does not entail that it is morally wrong. Few people sleep standing up, but that does not make it ethically wrong. An act’s moral status is not determined by its statistical frequency (Calabrò et al., 2019). The argument that gay actions do not result in procreation is insufficient due to their unusualness. Although the primary function of the human reproductive system is reproduction, it also serves other reasons. Couples engage in sexual activity for various reasons, including enjoyment and intimacy (Vargas-Cáceres et al., 2021). Furthermore, the claim that gay behavior is repulsive is purely aesthetic and has no bearing on morals.
Even though both heterosexual and homosexual sex activities are legal, there are significant moral limitations on sexual behavior. The first prerequisite for any sexual behavior, whether homosexual or heterosexual, following the liberal framework of sexuality is that it must not contravene any justifiable moral law or principle. Prior to the sexual act, all partners must give their free, informed permission. For example, it is legally and morally unacceptable for an adult to engage in sexual activity with a minor (Levkovich et al., 2020). The kid is not of consenting age, and because of their ignorance of the act, they cannot provide consent to any sexual activity.
Therefore, sex should be with people in love because not everyone wants to get married or thinks marriage is a good idea. According to Grigorovich and Kontos (2018), marriage—one of society’s essential institutions—has undergone significant upheaval recently. Many more people live together or choose to remain single instead of getting married at all. More people now believe that coexistence is preferable to marriage and that marriage is merely a piece of paper (Cook, 2020). Even though being in love is possible, it is believed that teenagers should hold off till they are older. The issue with most teenagers is that they mistakenly believe they are in love with everybody they are around.
Although logical, morally appropriate sexual relationship justifications for more standards of deference and care before and after a sexual act are overly objective. Depending on who is performing the sexual act, respect and regard may signify different things to different people. Using Sherman et al.’s (2021) example, Juliet might not care that Romeo discloses the specifics of their sexual encounter. Romeo’s acts are not inherently dishonest if Juliet suffers no injury (psychological, reputational, etc.). Conservative sexuality thinkers could likewise be critical of the liberal framework for taking an overly constrained approach. It may be argued that the liberal perspective’s emphasis on the potential harm of sexual activity ignores a significant portion of what individuals care about in terms of the human experience and adopts an overly mechanistic methodology. The participants’ views are too disjointed and do not adequately convey the intimacy and sentiments experienced during a sexual act.
Therapists Stance Based on the Presented Information
Given that opinions on what constitutes morally righteous action differ, sexuality continues to be controversial. The liberal framework of sexuality, which encourages different levels of permissiveness, is more in accord with the prevailing attitudes toward sexuality in society today. As long as both participants give their free and informed consent before engaging in sexual activity, heterosexual or homosexual behavior (or everything in between) is morally acceptable. Thus, this information and perspective about human sexuality help therapists to understand the diverse view of sexuality and should not judge anyone regardless of the type of sexuality or relationship one chooses. Moreover, this paper teaches that heterosexuality and other types of sexuality are morally acceptable as long as it does not violate other people’s rights and the choice of people’s sexuality should be respected.
References
Calabrò, R. S., Cacciola, A., Bruschetta, D., Milardi, D., Quattrini, F., Sciarrone, F., Rosa, G., Bramanti, P., & Anastasi, G. (2019). Neuroanatomy and function of human sexual behavior: A neglected or unknown issue? Brain and Behavior, 9(12). Web.
Cook, C. C. H. (2020). The causes of human sexual orientation. Theology & Sexuality, 27(1), 1–19. Web.
Grigorovich, A., & Kontos, P. (2018). Advancing an ethic of embodied relational sexuality to guide decision-making in dementia care. The Gerontologist, 58(2), 219-225. Web.
Sherman, A. D. F., Balthazar, M., Klepper, M., Febres-Cordero, S., Valmeekanathan, A., Prakash, D., Cimino, A. N., Wharton, W., Allure, K., & Kelly, U. (2021). Approach and avoidant coping among black transgender women who have experienced violence: A qualitative analysis. Psychological Services, 19(Suppl 1), pp. 45–61. Web.
Levkovich, I., Gewirtz‐Meydan, A., & Ayalon, L. (2020). Communicating with older adults about sexual issues: How are these issues handled by physicians with and without training in human sexuality?Health & Social Care in the Community, 29(5), 1317-1326. Web.
López Alvarado, S. L., Van Parys, H., Jerves, E., & Enzlin, P. (2020). Development of sexual assertiveness and its function for human sexuality: A literature review. Revista Interamericana de Psicología/Interamerican. Journal of Psychology, 54(2), e948. Web.
Reis Brandão, E., & Cabral, C. da S. (2019). Sexual and reproductive rights under attack: Brazil’s advance of political and moral conservatism. Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters, 27(2), 76–86. Web.
Vargas-Cáceres, S., Cera, N., Nobre, P., & Ramos-Quiroga, J. A. (2021). The impact of psychosis on sexual functioning: A systematic review. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 18(3), 457–466. Web.