Title of the paper: Introspecting on Sex
Basic description: For this introspection, you will examine your own definition of sexuality relative to the material that has been covered in class and in the readings and in the videos.
How are you going to do this? Use your best friends of inquisition: Who? What? Where? When? How? and Why?
You may use what Wilhelm Wundt, the father of psychology, called introspection. Introspection is the first method used in the science of psychology. And it is simply defined as “looking inward.” Who are you relative to sexuality? How do significant others influence your sexuality?
Another perspective you may use comes from Sigmund Freud. Freud’s psychoanalysis used psychoanalytic techniques such as dream analysis and humor interpretation to look inward and define who we are sexually.
Yet another perspective that you may use is that of William James, the father of American psychology. He developed the view of psychology called functionalism, which is concerned with measuring what humans “do.” So, what do you and others do relative to sexuality?
Questions you will be addressing within this introspection (answer at least seven of the following eleven questions while you are introspecting upon your definition of human sexuality):
Use your definition of human sexuality to address:
(a) How do concepts such as communication and intimacy fit into sexuality?
(b) What are the subjective, objective, and social/cultural elements of sexuality?
(c) What impact do ethics/morals (from religion, government, science, etc.) have on your definition?
(d) What are people actually doing (sexually) in spite of or because of societal rules?
(e) The conflicts between ETHICS and MORALS.
(f) How does your definition change (if at all) throughout the lifespan, for example: is it the same for a 3-year-old as it is for a 30-year-old as it is for a 70-year-old?
(g) The concepts of LOVING, LIKING, and SOCIAL INTIMACY.
(h) GENDER and SEXUAL ORIENTATION
(i) SEXUAL DISORDERS: What is abnormal—sexually speaking—relative to your definition?
(j) The Sexual Response cycle—how does pleasure and orgasm fit into your definition?
(k) Pregnancy—how does pregnancy and birth control fit into your definition?
Put a perspective on it: After you have answered these questions using your definition of human sexuality—what concluding comments do you have about your definition of sexuality and human sexuality in-general?
Format: The format of the paper is simple.
4 to 7 pages in length. Double spaced. 1 to 1.5 inch margins. 10 to 12-point font.
You may use any format for the paper. You may write it in the form of a letter to… You may write a poem. You may write it as a formal paper. You may write it as an informal paper…
Do NOT use jargon! Write the paper in your own words, using your own language.
The MAIN POINT of the paper is for YOU to learn something MORE about yourself by using this exercise. You are NOT trying to TEACH ME about you — Instead; you are trying to TEACH YOURSELF about you.
Research shows that people spend very LITTLE time (less than 10% of the time that they’re awake) actually thinking about themselves. We spend MOST of our time worrying about OTHER things: people, places, objects, deadlines, jobs, etc.
This introspection is about you for you.
Be sure to separate your paper into individual paragraphs.
One STRICT format item is required. I want you to write an American Psychological Association Publication Manual, 7th edition formatted title page for the paper.
For examples of APA formatted papers, see: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/general_format.html
