Alfred Kinsey remains the most renowned scientists in the field of sexology. His studies yield important information that helped shape the idea of sex and continues to educate all in the most private aspect of our lives. The Kinsey film is a great depiction of his life, research, and impact on the perspectives of sex as we know it. To begin, Alfred’s childhood was very common in the late 40’s, early 50’s. He grew up with a very demanding father, who was established in the church community. He was raised Christian and very conservative. Therefore, was taught nothing about masturbation, let alone the act of sexual intercourse. He was always interested in biology and was adamant about studying this as a career, despite his father’s wishes. This …show more content…
type of upbringing intensified his curiosity and eventually led him to study sex later in life. Throughout life and research, Kinsey’s curiosity became satisfied with experience.
He proposed a theory that people are different from one another, yet they strive to be the same. People have the desire to “fit in” or be “normal. This subconscious yearning to be like others causes people to betray their natural nature and to be untrue to their selves. What one considers the norm, pertaining to sex, another might not. Since the topic is rarely discussed, the idea of “normal” in society is ultimately a guess. We should not disregard our natural behaviors as humans to please others or to be accepted into a society or a culture. We have the freedom to make our own sexual decisions and possess our own values. This being said, it should be accepted and “normal” to express ourselves how we would like to without a second thought of what is important to …show more content…
others. To continue, Kinsey performed extensive research relevant to sex. He used various methods to conduct this research that were new and exciting at the time. His studies are the best known examples of survey research today. These interview surveys were comprehensive, containing open-ended questions. The advantages to surveying include: being anonymous, inexpensive, and quickly administered. The down side to using surveys in research was participation, biases created by non response, accuracy, and demographic biases. Another method Kinsey used to gather information was direct observation method. Although this method can be effective, it can be altered by the presence of the observer, causing it to be biased as well. Furthermore, there are many experimental methods used to conduct research also, which Kinsey used as well. These methods are cause and effect based, which include both dependent and independent variables. Having control over variables and direct analysis of possible casual factors are advantages of experimental research. Although, the laboratory setting can alter subject’s responses compared to a more natural setting. Technology, is always modernizing, along with its importance in research. Devices are used often in sexual research as well as the internet. Much like survey methods, the internet is cheaper and faster, but can also cause biases and low response rates; along with multiple submissions. Although Kinsey’s sexual research was considered valuable, it was also very controversial.
In the late 40’s and early 50’s, sex was a topic that was almost never discussed, that most were ignorant to. Things like masturbation and homosexuality were issues many had little to no knowledge about; abstinence was the social “norm”. Sexology was an unconventional topic to speak of or specifically research. Because of the low popularity of the topic, controversial decision to interview, and sexual experiments with volunteers, the Rockefeller Foundation pulled the plug on funding Kinsey’s research. It was gathered that these methods do not cast an accurate depiction of the general population and should no longer be
considered. Ultimately, Kinsey’s research changed the world’s views on sex forever. His research left an astonishing impact. Schools across the U.S. now have sexual education courses for various age groups. On August 20th, 1953, the newsstands released Kinsey’s discoveries to the public, also known as “K-Day”. Today, the Kinsey Institute continues his research and makes information available to the public. There are also books and films illustrating appreciation for his work and efforts. In the end, Kinsey was gravely ill and passed away without being able to see his life’s work finished. Perhaps, his passing was due to stress which affected his heart, or an addiction to barbiturates he was ailed with while in the hospital. Regardless, his research and legacy lives on and will continue to have an effect on sexology. His research is revolutionary to science and remains invaluable to the field of sexology.
...cently been changing. Knaurft at long last affirms the need to keeping re-surrounding ideas of sexuality to record for elective possibilities/realities.
" That he speaks of homosexuals and heterosexuals is secondary to his idea that all men deserve to live openly, which involves expressing emotions. Men expressing themselves emotionally can be seen in plenty of other places. If one listens to the radio, they are bound to hear a number of songs about sex, and probably an equal number about love or other emotions. All sung by males. The same is true of other mediums of pop culture, such as movies and television.
He believes that a lot of thing that people value in life, such as clothing and medicine, “are unnatural in some sense” (211). Yet, no one suggests those being immoral. On the other hand, disease and death, for example, “are ‘natural’ in the sense that they occur ‘in nature’” (211). So being unusual isn’t enough to be called as immoral. The arguements of abnormal, offensive or disguesting do not make things “unnatural” either because there are activities such as eating snails or cleaning toilets that disguest people but aren’t listed as immoral. Moreover, arguements such as animal practice and moral innation do not label homoseuality unnatural because after all, what is normal can't in any way, shape or form be characterized. By the end of this section, he concluded that “homosexuality is either perfectly natural or, if unnatural, is not unnatural in a way that makes it immoral”
Jordanova, Ludmilla. Sexual Visions: Images of Gender in Science and Medicine between the 18th and 20th Centuries. London: Harrester Wheatsheaf, 1989.
The 19th-Century was a period in which the expression of sexuality and sexual compulsion was firmly repressed. Charles E. Rosenberg explores the typical behaviors of the sexes, and how they related to the expression, or repression, of sexuality in “Sexuality, Class and Role in 19th-Century America.” Medical and biological literature tended to adopt very sex-negative attitudes, condemning sexual desires and activity. This literature was often ambivalent and self-contradicting. Initially, people viewed sex as a normal human behavior: they believed sexual excess was bad, but thought it was natural and necessary after puberty because horniness left unsatisfied and untreated could cause disease. However, in the 1830s, the previous sex-neutral attitude was quickly replaced by a harsher, more negative view of sexuality. “Quacks,” or charlatans, tried to instill people with a crippling fear of sex by warning them of
Masters and Johnson were a pioneering team in the field of human sexuality, both in the domains of research and therapy. William Howell Masters, a gynecologist, was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1915. Virginia Eshelman Johnson, a psychologist, was born in Springfield, Montana in 1925. To fully appreciate their contribution, it is necessary to see their work in historic context. In 1948, Alfred C. Kinsey and his co-workers, responding to a request by female students at Indiana University for more information on human sexual behavior, published the book Sexual Behavior in the Human Male. They followed this five years later with Sexual Behavior in the Human Female. These books began a revolution in social awareness of and public attention given to human sexuality. At the time, public morality severely restricted open discussion of sexuality as a human characteristic, and specific sexual practices, especially sexual behaviors that did not lead to procreation. Kinsey's books, which among other things reported findings on the frequency of various sexual practices including homosexuality, caused a furor. Some people felt that the study of sexual behavior would undermine the family structure and damage American society. It was in this climate - one of incipient efforts to break through the denial of human sexuality and considerable resistance to these efforts - that Masters and Johnson began their work. Their primary contribution has been to help define sexuality as a healthy human trait and the experience of great pleasure and deep intimacy during sex as socially acceptable goals. As a physician interested in the nature of sexuality and the sexual experience, William Masters wanted to conduct research that would lead to an objective understanding of these topics. In 1957, he hired Virgina Johnson as a research assistant to begin this research issue. Together they developed polygraph-like instruments that were designed to measure human sexual response. Using these tools, Masters and Johnson initiated a project that ultimately included direct laboratory observation and measurement of 700 men and women while they were having intercourse or masturbating. Based on the data collected in this study, they co-authored the book Human Sexual Response in 1966. In this book, they identify and describe four phases in the human sexual response cycle : excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution. By this point in time, the generally repressive attitude toward sexuality was beginning to lift and the book found a ready audience.
Warner, M. The trouble with normal, sex, politics, and the ethics of queer life. Harvard
The article “The Invention of Homosexuality and Heterosexuality” addresses how homosexuality was invented and how society accepted this new form of sexual orientation. Homosexuality is more socially acceptable in modern times. However, dating back to the nineteen century homosexually was classified as a disease that had to be cured. In the nineteen century, homosexuals diverted from the “norm” thus, they were seen a disability. Mann and Susan Archer state that “Foucault argued that the invention of the reviled "homosexual" is one of the most significant and enduring legacies of this period in sexual history as well as a classic example of the way in which assorted sexual acts were re-conceptualized in the late nineteenth century from fleeting practices to symptoms of permanent disorder and sexual personage.” This article adopts concepts of normalcy, and race in relation to heterosexuality.
This new sense of equality and freedom manifested itself through what might be termed as “unladylike things”. The introduction of birth control in the last decade empowered women to take control of their own body as well. The Flapper became more open to experiment with sexual behaviors than previous generations. Sigmund Freud, a modern-day psychoanalyst, claimed that this sudden expr...
It was not until Kinsey et al. (1953) developed the Kinsey Scale to measure sexual orientation that the notion of sexual fluidity began to be considered in Western cultures. It consisted of a seven-category continuum based on two indicators: sexual fantasy and sexual experience. Both fantasy and experimental measures were found to have similar result, and many agreed this form of measurement was better than one consisting of only a few discrete variables (Ellis, Burke, & Ames, 1987).
His theory as to why homosexuality is abnormal (because of humans misusing their body parts) may propose a weak argument at first; however he supports this aspect of his argument by giving an example unrelated to human sexuality. His example involves the use of our teeth, although we may not realize it, those who do not have teeth usually don’t enjoy consuming all of their food through a straw.... ... middle of paper ... ...
I had the opportunity to watch the movie “Kinsey.” In the process of watching this movie, I had different reactions when some scenes were presented. First of all, in the movie it showed that Kinsey’s father who was the preacher of a church was close minded about the topic of sex. However, I felt that this movie generalized that all pastors or preachers are close minded to talk about topics that refer to sex. In my experience, my pastor is very open to talk about sex, he would teach teenagers about what sex is about and he would talk to couple about that topic openly. However, it is true that keeping teenagers from sexual encounters before marriage is one of the goals preachers have.
Marshall Cavendish Corporation. Sex and Society. New York, NY: Marshall Cavendish Corporation , 2010. Print.
He explains that the male sexuality is tied to physical sensations and the idea of what identity is. We see sexuality as part of our identity and that is why we want to put labels on it. We often associate what it is to be a man with certain qualities and if people don't fit into those they think that they are not a 'real man'. Stoltenberg says that we shouldn't focus on those things because there is no male sex, that is something that was created by society. Which I find interesting because yes we separate people based on what is between there legs and we place a certain expectation on how they should act but can we still say there is no male sex. Even though the expectation that society has put on the male sex on how to act should happen, they can act the way they want, should we take off that
One of the earliest proposed definitions of asexuality came from the famed Alfred Kinsey in 1948, who called it “a lack of sexual behavior associated with a lack of sexual response to erotic stimuli” (Houdenhove, “Asexuality” 1). Later re-definitions include “a lack of sexual behavior associated with a lack of sexual desire” in 1977, “a lack of sexual orientation” in 1980, “a lack of sexual behavior” in 1993, and “a lack of sexual desire or excitement” in 2007 (Houdenhove, “Asexuality” 1; Yule 1). It was not until 2016 that researchers recommending using the definition that asexuals had been using to define themselves (which had also undergone some modifications), describing asexuality as “a lack of sexual attraction” (Houdenhove, “Asexuality” 1). It is interesting to note that all of these definitions define asexuality as “a lack of ______”, as it implies that there is something that asexuals are missing and that they are not complete, but the currently used definition at least describes the phenomenon in a way that is satisfactory to almost all who discuss asexuality.