Key Factors Of Sexuality Development

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Sexuality Development There are several key factors that are a part of sexuality development as children begin to mature. Broderick and Blewitt (2015) stated that, “the term sexuality development has replaced sexual development over the past decade reflecting the fluidity and interconnectedness of physical and psychological development over the course of coming to understand one’s sexuality,” (p. 355). This is semantical difference, and the rationale behind the change, is important because it takes into consideration numerous factors that affects one sexuality development. Important factors involved in this process include biological factors, social factors, and cultural factors.
Biological and Age Factors When discussing sexuality development, …show more content…

Arnett (as cited in Broderick and Blewitt, 2015) lists girls beginning puberty as early as the age of 8, whereas boys can begin as early as 9 ½. Girls will begin this process earlier than boys typically, so they are predisposed to sexuality development at an earlier age due to biological factors. Research has also shown that while girls who develop at a younger age can face negative emotional consequences, this is not the case with boys; they actually face negative emotional consequences through late development (Broderick and Blewitt, 2015).
Socialization Factors The social impact of sexuality development is also something to take into consideration. These changes are often visible, and coupled with behaviors, can have an impact on adolescence in relation to their peers. Dr. Earl Grey (Laureate Education, 2013) shared an example:
One client came to me because she was having difficulty with her female peers, not being able to fit in, not feeling accepted in the group. As I gathered more information from her, what was evident is that her peers had developed more rapidly than she had. So she was more in the younger tween phase, and the other girls, the way she described were moving much faster into adolescence (p. …show more content…

260). While there may be a myriad of reasons an individual may not want to discuss their sexuality, a cultural reason could be religious views. There is a documented culture of suppressing sexuality within various religions. Examples of this could be suppressing sexual fantasies (especially if they are same-sex in nature), denouncing premarital sex or children born out of wedlock, or even the absence of men in social settings within certain

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