Normal Sexual Behavior
Sexual behavior is the manner in which individuals experience their sexuality and how they express it. Sexuality is a vital part of human development and it may be experienced through a variety of ways, such as through desires, fantasies, thoughts, relationships practices, and roles. Human sexual activity has behavioral, sociological, emotional, cognitive and biological elements which include physiological processes like sexual intercourse, pathology, and sex drive, as well as reproductive mechanisms. It becomes more pronounced when an individual reaches puberty, and it is at this stage that it can be easily classified as normal or abnormal. According to Sandfort (2012), normal sexual behavior includes behaviors that are considered acceptable, or are established in a given society or culture, while abnormal sexual behaviors are apart from, or contrary to, acceptable or established behaviors in a society or culture.
Examples of normal sexual behaviors in minors include: playing house with innocent sexual imitations; curiosity about nudity; showing affection to familiar adults and children by kissing; drawing genitals on human figures; asking questions about pregnancy, puberty or sexual differences; interest in breasts, buttocks or genitals or breasts of children of the same age; engaging in self-soothing behaviors; telling dirty jokes,...
For adults, normal sexual behavior includes flirting with the opposite sex, sexual intercourse, experimenting with different positions during sex, the use of technology such as text messages and movies to arouse a partner, intimate hugging and caressing of a partner, among numerous other ways of seeking sexual pleasure.
The criteria used to identify sexual behaviors as normal is often based on a range of behaviors and frequencies that have been observed in majority of individuals. Furthermore, majority of abnormal sexual behaviors, such as bestiality and pedophilia are condemned by society, and perpetrators are often punished severely. Normal sexual behavior, therefore, is any activity that is socially acceptable or, more specifically, that which does not intentionally cause harm. There are specific conditions that behavior considered normal should fulfill. First, it should not be engaged in attitudes of fear, shame, disgust, guilt or inferiority (Bancroft, 2009). For a long time, sexual gratification was acceptable only if it was received from members of the opposite sex. However, the society today has accepted homosexuality, and gay marriages have been legalized in some states in the country.
Sexual activity…
