Everything about Sexual Acts totally explained
Human sexual behavior or different
human sexual practices encompass a wide range of activities such as strategies to find or attract partners (
mating and
display behaviour), interactions between individuals,
physical or
emotional intimacy, and sexual contact.
Some cultures will find only sexual contact within marriage acceptable; however, extramarital sexual activity still takes place.
Unprotected sex may result in unwanted
pregnancy or
sexually transmitted diseases. In some areas,
sexual abuse of individuals is prohibited by law and considered against the norms of society.
Aspects of human sexual behavior
Cultural aspects
As with other behaviors, human intelligence and complex societies have produced among the most complicated sexual behaviors of any animal. Most people experiment with a range of sexual activities during their lives, though they tend to engage in only a few of these regularly. Most people enjoy some sexual activities. However, most societies have defined some sexual activities as inappropriate (wrong person, wrong activity, wrong place,, etc.) Some people enjoy many different sexual activities, while others avoid sexual activities altogether for religious or other reasons (see
chastity,
sexual abstinence). Historically, some societies and
religions have viewed sex as appropriate only within
marriage.
Social norms and rules
Human sexual behavior, like many other kinds of activity engaged in by human beings, is generally governed by social rules that are culturally specific and vary widely. These social rules are referred to as
sexual morality (what can and can not be done by society's rules) and
sexual norms (what is and isn't expected). Sexual ethics, morals, and norms relate to issues including deception/honesty, legality,
fidelity and consent.
Some activities, known as
sex crimes, are illegal in some jurisdictions, including those conducted between (or among) consenting and competent adults (examples include
sodomy law and adult-adult
incest). Scientific studies suggest sexual fantasy, even of unusual interests, is usually a healthy activity.
Some people engage in various sexual activities as a business transaction. When this involves having sex with, or performing certain actual sexual acts for another person, it's called
prostitution. Other aspects of the
adult industry include (for example)
telephone sex operators,
strip clubs,
pornography and the like.
Nearly all developed societies consider it a serious crime to force someone to engage in sexual behavior or to engage in sexual behavior with someone who doesn't consent. This is called sexual assault, and if sexual penetration occurs it's called
rape, the most serious kind of sexual assault. The details of this distinction may vary among different legal jurisdictions. Also, precisely what constitutes effective consent to have sex varies from culture to culture and is frequently debated. Laws regulating the minimum age at which a person can consent to have sex (
age of consent) are frequently the subject of political and moral debate, as is
adolescent sexual behavior in general. Additionally, many societies have forced marriage, so consent doesn't really figure in to the equation of a sex crime.
It is possible to engage in sexual activity without a partner, primarily through
masturbation and/or
sexual fantasy.
Frequency of sexual activity
The frequency of
sexual intercourse might range from zero (
sexual abstinence) to 15 or 20 times a week. It is generally recognized that
postmenopausal women experience declines in frequency of sexual intercourse.. The average frequency of sexual intercourse for married couples is 2 to 3 times a week (in America).
Safety and ancillary issues
There are four main areas of risk in sexual activity, namely:
These risks are raised by any condition (temporary or permanent) which impairs one's judgement, such as excess
alcohol or
drugs, or emotional states such as
loneliness,
depression or
euphoria (for example new students at college). Carefully considered activity can greatly reduce all of these issues.
Sexually transmitted disease
Sexual behaviors that involve contact with the bodily fluids of another person entail risk of transmission of
sexually transmitted disease. Safe sex practices try to avoid this. These techniques are often seen as less necessary for those in committed relationships with persons known to be free of disease; see
fluid bonding.
Due to
health concerns arising from
HIV/
AIDS,
chlamydia,
syphilis,
gonorrhea,
HPV and other
sexually transmitted infections, some people may want potential
sex partners to be tested for
STDs before engaging in
sex.
Unwanted pregnancy
Sexual behaviors that involve the contact of
semen with the
vagina or
vulva may result in
pregnancy. To prevent pregnancy, many people employ a variety of birth control measures. The most popular methods of prevention are
condoms,
spermicides,
hormonal contraception, and sterilization.
Legal issues related to sexual behavior
Sodomy and same sex laws
Various forms of same-sex sexual activity have been prohibited under law in many areas at different times in history. In 2003, the
Lawrence v Texas United States Supreme Court decision overturned all such laws in the US.
Usually, though not always, such laws are termed
sodomy laws, but also include issues such as age of consent laws, "decency" laws, and so forth. Laws prohibiting same-sex sexuality have varied widely throughout history, varying by culture, religious and social taboos and customs, etc. Often such laws are targeted or applied differently based on sex as well. For example, laws against same-sex sexual behavior in the
United Kingdom during the reign of
Queen Victoria, sodomy or "buggery" laws were aimed specifically at male same-sex sexual activity and didn't target or even address female homosexuality. A well known example of such laws applied in relatively modern times can be found in the life story of
Alan Turing.
Child sexual abuse
List of sex acts and practices
» There are many variations of sexual activities, and often multiple names for any given practice. For more detail see the comprehensive list of sex positions and list of sexual slang.
General
Barebacking
Erotic massage
Erotica
Group sex
Sex toy
Cunnilingus
Fellatio
Anilingus
Sexual fantasy
Masturbation
Oral sex
Oral stimulation of nipples
Sexual Intercourse
Anal Intercourse
Intercrural sex
Outercourse
Pornography
Roleplay
Sex positions
Foreplay
BDSM-related
BDSM
Fetishism
Nyotaimori
Wax play
Specialized verbal or visual activities
Some forms of sexual activity involve someone else, but not touching the other:
Dirty talk
Exhibitionism is the recurrent urge or behavior to expose one's genitals to an unsuspecting person.
Voyeurism is the recurrent urge or behavior to observe an unsuspecting person who is naked, disrobing or engaging in sexual activities.Further Information
Get more info on 'Sexual Acts'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://human_sexual_behavior.totallyexplained.com">Human sexual behavior Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |