This research paper will focus on chapter six that deals with matters of sex. It will summarize and analyze “Human sexual development” article by DeLamater and Friedrich (2002), which was published in volume thirty nine of the Journal of Sex Research. I found this article very interesting in the manner in which it displays content and the argument that is brought out in the paper. For example, I liked the argument of the article in that development of the sexual system starts at conception and ends at death. The article is also interesting in the manner in which it brings out the development of gender and sex matters.

DeLamater and Friedrich address the development of the sexual aspect of human beings from conception to death. They argue that human sexual development is a continuous development throughout the life of a human being and that it composes of the behavioral and the biological components. According to them, every stage of life has its important development milestones, which should take place for sexual development to be complete.

The first stage that the authors outline is birth to seven years. They argue that sexual response can be found I males immediately after birth, and that; in females, vaginal lubrication may be noticeable after twenty-four hours of birth. According to them, fondling of genitals is sexual expression in children of two years. Further, the authors argue that child play, rocking and cuddling in children is a sexual expression. This also includes suckling of fingers by the siblings. There is an expression also at around age three, when children form a sense of gender-norms, and identify with the parents through physical contact. The period of above three years is when the children learn about sex differences in them, and they play roles of adults in their child games. This is a sexual expression. At this age, interest is noted in them about the genitals of other people. Though their parents restrict them, they tend to turn to other children, or other people for information about sex.

In the preadolescent period, a homosocial organization develops in children. At this stage, they learn sex in their gender. They are at this age likely to start masturbation or sexual experience. At this stage, they may also start group dating. At adolescence, biological maturation of sex characteristics and sexual organs lead to increased attraction to sex. The increase in testosterone levels may lead to the development of adult sexual interactions. Masturbation levels may rise at this stage. According to the authors, sexual activity at this age depends on ethnic group, with the African Americans beginning at an early age of 15, while whites begin at an average age of 17. Church going and educational information also influences the behavior of the adolescents towards sexual intercourse. The authors argue that the declining ages of menarche, as well as, the rising age of the first marriage, are factors leading to an increase in the number of sexual intercourse cases, and pregnancies among adolescents.

The sexual development also is accompanied with the dilemma of identity versus role confusion among adolescents. In normal sexual development, a sense of womanhood or manhood is the result of the stage of adolescence. They also learn the management of physical and emotional intimacy. In adulthood, the psycho-sexual maturity enables one to make a decision concerning their sex life. This counts as the time when many people decide whether to remain single, celibate, or to marry. For those who decide to marry, they undergo another challenge of obtaining sexual satisfaction from their partner. Changes will be experienced in the relationship according to the understanding between the couple.

As people age, changes are realized in their biological sexual component. Women, for example, experience menopause, and stop experiencing their monthly period. The decline in estrogen brings changes in the female body, which makes them devalue sex. Similarly, the authors argue that males experience andropause. This reduces their sexual desire. The authors conclude that menopause and andropause do not terminate sexual desires in old people; they only reduce the desires.

This article by DeLamater and Friedrich is a comprehensive article in matters sex. The article brings out the milestones of sexual development in chronological order since conception to death. It is remarkable for the article to start with the biological developments that take place in childhood, then show how they develop to adulthood, and how they affect the sexual behavior in adulthood. One maybe would fault the article in that; though it has started by addressing both the biological and the sociopsychological components, it has not thoroughly gone step-by –step analyzing the two components. From the preadolescent period, the authors seem to have diverted and given much attention to the behavioral component than the biological component. These two go simultaneously with changes in the biological components affect what happens in the behavioral component.

In the first part, the authors argue that sexual responses in infants start as early as twenty-four hours after birth. They give evidences of fondling genitals, as well as, vaginal lubrications in females who are barely a day old. Although children may experience this, it does not hold water to claim that the children experience sexual responses as early as birth, because, at this age, the children may not know what exactly they are experiencing. Further, it is contradictory and confusing; in the way the authors bring out the concept of human sexual development. At the introduction of the article, the authors claim that human sexual development starts at conception, and ends at death. This brings out an interpretation that sexual development continues to advance till death. However, the authors bring the concept of menopause and andropause, which happen in old people starting from age forty. Menopause and andropause contribute to declining sexual experiences, rather than developing sexual experiences. This is even evident in the article, as the authors argue that menopause and andropause lead to declining sexual desire and activity.

Considering this article as a whole, it brings out the concept of human sexual development very well. The milestones that happen in the normal concept of sexual development are outlined. In a biological perspective, one would have expected an article like this to point out the abnormal sexual behavior that would have resulted due to a defect in the normal sexual development. It has focused so much on the normal, neglecting the abnormal, yet the greatest problem of humanity, and the question that biology tries to answer is the question of the abnormal. For example, the article has not shown how the sexual development of a person who has insufficient sexual hormones is likely to be. In spite of this, it is a comprehensive article recommendable for any student of biology.

References

DeLamater, J. & Friedrich, N.W. (2002). Human sexual behavior. Journal of Sex Research, 39(1): 10-14.