Before Alfred Kinsey’s research, the social norms on sex were much different than they are today. In the 1940’s and 50’s sex was a topic that was too taboo to talk about. Supposedly, no one engaged in pre-marital sex, oral intercourse, anal intercourse, or any type of homosexual relations. Almost anything sexually related was seen as wrong. Intercourse was only to be used to reproduce. Even then, ‘the stork’ brought the babies or they were grown in ‘cabbage patches’. This thought may have started with Queen Victoria, when asked about her thoughts on pregnancy after having 9 children of her own, stated the she hated the idea of pregnancy. Women were also supposed to stay true to the Cult of True Womenhood and be pure for their husband. Homophobia …show more content…
is a notion that is deeply rooted in masculine ideology, thus homosexuality being seen as such a negative action. Even on the vast majority of television shows at the time, married couples were seen sleeping in separate beds. In a similar sense, Dr. Thomas Bowdler rewrote Shakesphere’s work so that it did not contain any vulgar, suggestive, or violent themes. This society was so sheltered from anything sexually related that they had no idea what was normal or abnormal. After Kinsey had sexual difficulties with his own wife, some student began to come seek his help in their own sexual difficulties.
This brought to Kinsey’s attention that very little prior research had been conducted on sex because of how offensive of a topic it was. He realized, however, that the abnormalities in sex were not known because of the lack of research. This prompted Kinsey to start a class on marriage and to conduct surveys on his students’ sexual histories (“Alfred Charles Kinsey”). At the time, this was very controversial because sex was such a ‘hush-hush’ subject. Still, he collected data from his students and to his surprise he found that things like oral sex, anal sex, homosexuality, pre-marital sex, masturbation, and even positions other than the missionary position were much more common than previously thought. This made Kinsey take his research on a much larger range and he began to survey as many people as he could. He then created a survey that could cross-check to see if people were lying about their sexual history and created a scale, with 0 being exclusively heterosexual and 6 being exclusively homosexual, that categorized people based on their histories. He found that what was previously seen as ‘wrong’ were actually sexual norms. Thus, Kinsey was the first modern sex
researcher. Kinsey was not the first ever sex researcher. One researcher before Kinsey went by the name of Clelia Mosher. Mosher was a professor at Stanford University around 1892. She surveyed her class of 45 that consisted entirely of females on their thoughts about sex. Remember, at this day in age, women were supposed to be pure and only have sex to bare offspring. Mosher found that 35 of her students had sexual desires before marriage, 34 of her students had experienced orgasms before marriage, 24 of her students expressed that they thought that sex was ‘fun’, and 75% of her students has sex at least once a week. She also discovered that women do in fact have organism (Pastor,. Et al.). While the results were bias, they were against what the norms were. However, Mosher’s results were never published because she was aware of the turmoil that the results would bring. Mosher’s research differed from Kinsey’s because she only focused on the females’ experiences and thoughts. She also never went as large scale as Kinsey and she never published her research. Without Alfred Kinsey, the sexual revolution would have never happened. Because of him, attitudes towards sex have completely changed. Things that were once seen as taboo, such as masturbation, oral sex, premarital sex, and homosexually, are all seen as more of the norm in sexual activity. Kinsey forced many to see that sex is not some horrible act that should never be discussed. He showed that even if you do any of those actions, you are not a freak or abnormal, you are just human.
Vern L. Bullough, “Alfred Kinsey and the Kinsey Report: Historical Overview and Lasting Contributions”, The Journal of Sex Research 35 no. 2 (May 1998):129.
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
...mosexual culture of the 1950s did everything to help keep their sexual status a secret.Homosexuals were looked at as a disgrace to whatever community he or she lived in. It was not acceptable for a couple of the same sex to be in public displaying affection. In addition, movies and tv shows brought about a lot of sexual wondering. At this time, teenagers were also being very disrespectful toward their parents.
Kinsey, a film written and directed by Bill Condon, chronicles the story of well renowned human sexuality researcher Alfred Kinsey, and his struggles of being the first to study what was considered a taboo subject back in that time period. The film does a great job of not only telling his story, but it also integrating real theories from psychology and sociology.
Hooking up, and consent for a sufficient basis for sex that fosters human flourishing is moral based on how society has accepted its norms. Sex is a basic norm for today's society, being that new generations are engaging into the world, sex is no longer a hidden object. Hooking up is moral based on the acceptance of society, no one keeps it hidden anymore. The dating life, sex scene, and even your sexual preference is something that is more broad on life, which is why I argue that hooking up is moral. Acceptance is the key of hooking up, in today's society we do not get mad at those who are hooking up its more of a “to each is own” type of thing, which is why hooking up is both moral and the norm of society. In addition, the consent on sex
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.
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).
Unlike sex, the history of sexuality is dependant upon society and limited by its language in order to be defined and understood.
Looking at our past, there have been dramatic changes in the way humans view sex. Long before the 1900s individuals framed their views based on the religious institution. Due to the fact that they strongly centered their idea of sexual thought on religion, they believed that the only purpose of having sex was to procreate. As the 1920’s approached, there were various factors that changed the way individuals viewed sex. The “new women” known, as flappers were women who were confident in who they were. They changed their attire as well as their social attitude. In the 1920s, the flappers redefined sex; customs and traditions were broken and new norms were created by society.
I am not used to watch those types of scenes in movies; especially watching those types of scenes in a room full of strangers. Also, I felt that Kinsey was very open to seek for help from an expert in regards of his sexual difficulties with his wife; however, he was hesitant to even mention the side of his penis. I think it was interesting how Kinsey’s lock of knowledge about sex intrigue him to do researches and experiments of why sex was a topic that many people were not open to talk about. However, I think Kinsey went too far to reach his goal. Seeing Kinsey kissing with another man was an awkward moment, I did not see that coming. I think his desire to find out what people experience in their sexual encounters, was a motive why Kinsey decided to sleep with a man. I am against same sex encounters due to my religion beliefs, and watching Kinsey with another man was not a pleasant experience. I would like to state that I do not dislike gays or lesbians; however, I do not approve their sexual
Before Freud introduced psychoanalysis and psychosexual behavior in the 20th Century, women were extremely confined in their options for their sexuality and sexual behaviors. Women were restricted to the gender roles implemented by the law and customs, as means to enforce traditional marriages between men and women. It was difficult for a woman to form an emotional connection with men because of the deep gender segregation, so they formed close emotional relationships with their close female friends instead. This also made women cautious to form relationships and marry men, so physical intimacy had to be hidden through abortions, lest the woman would be forced into marrying a man she was not entirely ready to commit to.
The Imitation Game is a phenomenal film that takes place during World War II in 1952, which won Oscar for best writing-adapted screenplay. It serves as a tribute to the life of Alan Turing, a great mathematician who worked with fellow mathematicians through the British Intelligence MI6 agency to crack the Enigma Code. That’s not all there is though, this story brings you a profoundly odd man who has many secrets who is supposed to be solving the secret code to stop the war. When looking at this movie through the lens of social conflict, we can analyze how society is an arena of conflict as well as change that looks at how the individual is affected. So in this case we can look how the main themes: sex & sexuality, deviance, along with gender causes conflict in Alan Turing’s life as well as other supporting characters.
From birth, one's sexuality is shaped by society. Cultures institute behaviors that are to be seen as the societal norms, which work to constantly reinforce societal expectations of how genders should act in relation to one another. Although some may argue that one's sexuality is an innate characteristic resulting from genetic makeup, there is a large amount of evidence pointing to its social construction instead. Through the power differences between males and females, established gender roles, and drastic economic shifts, society establishes sexuality and reinforces the behaviors that are expected of its citizens.
Throughout Western civilization, culturally hegemonic views on gender and sexuality have upheld a rigid and monolithic societal structure, resulting in the marginalization and dehumanization of millions of individuals who differ from the expected norm. Whether they are ridiculed as freaks, persecuted as blasphemers, or discriminated as sub-human, these individuals have been historically treated as invisible and pushed into vulnerable positions, resulting in cycles of poverty and oppression that remain prevalent even in modern times. Today, while many of these individuals are not publicly displayed as freaks or persecuted under Western law, women, queer, and intersexed persons within our society still nonetheless find themselves under constant
This field of Sexology, developed from German and French influences, developed a taxonomy and categorization of sexual ‘deviance,’ in which homosexuality was at first seen as pathological and unnatural. This notion of a ‘degenerate’ sexuality and deviances, political, legal and social groups began to understand homosexuality in medicalized terms. Krafft-Ebbing, Ulrichs, Freud. Paedophilia and greeks.