3 minute read

Sexuality in Adulthood

Conclusion

Human sexuality is an intricate and integral component of adulthood. For most people it is essential for physical and mental well-being. The nature of sexuality has evolved to include the concept of mutual pleasure. Sexual practices are not limited to intercourse regardless of one's sexual orientation. Self-pleasure is also a component of human sexuality. Many people no longer consider masturbation deviant behavior. In fact it is suggested as a means to discover what one finds pleasurable. Oral sex and mutual stimulation are now more common sexual practices both within heterosexual and same-sex relationships. This coincides with the advent of viewing sex as something more than intercourse and something more than a means of reproduction.

Sex and sexuality may mean different things and be practiced in different ways according to a number of influences that people encounter. What is right for one person or group may not be right for another. The majority of people need to be in close contact with other people. They need to touch and be touched. This need does not end simply because they get older.

Bibliography

Abramson, P. R., and Pinkerton, S. D. (1995). With Pleasure: Thoughts on the Nature of Human Sexuality. New York: Oxford University Press.

Aiken, L. R. (1998). Human Development in Adulthood. New York: Plenum Press.

Brecher, E. M. (1984). Love, Sex, and Aging: A Consumers Union Report. Boston: Little, Brown.

Coltrane, S. (1998). Gender and Families. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.

Doress-Worters, P. B., and Siegal, D. L. (1994). Experiencing Our Change of Life: Menopause. In The New Ourselves, Growing Older: Women Aging With Knowledge and Power, ed. P. B. Doress-Worters and D. L. Siegal. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Edwards, J. N., and Booth, A. (1994). Sexuality, Marriage and Well-being: The Middle Years. In Sexuality across the Life Span, ed. A. S. Rossi. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Francoeur, R. T. (1987). Human Sexuality. In Handbook of Marriage and the Family, ed. M. B. Sussman and S. K. Steinmetz. New York: Plenum Press.

Higgins, L. P., and Tuttle, B. (1984). Development of a Sexual Being: Growing Up Female. In Human Sexuality across the Lifespan: Implications for Nursing Practice, ed. L. P. Higgins and J. W. Hawkins. Monterey, CA: Wadsworth.

Kaye, R. A. (1993). "Sexuality in the Later Years." Ageing and Society 13:415–426.

Kurdek, L. A. (1991). Sexuality in Homosexual and Heterosexual Couples. In Sexuality in Close Relationships, ed. K. McKinney and S. Sprecher. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Lauer, R. H., and Lauer, J. C. (1997). Marriage and Family: The Quest for Intimacy, 3rd edition. Madison, WI: Brown and Benchmark.

Levy, J. A. (1994). Sexuality in Later Life Stages. In Sexuality across the Life Span, ed. A. S. Rossi. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Montague, A. (1969). Sex, Man and Society. New York: Putnam.

Scanzoni, J. (2000). Designing Families: The Search for Self and Community in the Information Age. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.

Sterk-Elifson, C. P. (1994). Sexuality among African American Women. In Sexuality across the Life Span, ed. A. S. Rossi. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Szuchman, L. T., and Muscarella, F. (2000). Psychological Perspectives on Human Sexuality. New York: Wiley.

Tuttle, B. (1984). Adult Sexual Response. In Human Sexuality across the Lifespan: Implications for Nursing Practice, ed. L. P. Higgins and J. W. Hawkins. Monterey, CA: Wadsworth.

Utley, O. E. (1984). Sexuality and the Older Adult. In Human Sexuality across the Lifespan: Implications for Nursing Practice, ed. L. P. Higgins and J. W. Hawkins. Monterey, CA: Wadsworth.

Willert, A., and Semans, M. (2000) "Knowledge and Attitudes about Later Life Sexuality: What Clinicians Need to Know about Helping the Elderly." Contemporary Family Therapy 4:415–435.

PHYLLIS A. GREENBERG

Additional topics

Marriage and Family EncyclopediaFamily Health IssuesSexuality in Adulthood - Sexual Revolution, Women's Movement, Contraception, Same-sex Relationships, Children, Length Of A Relationship