The Psychology and Sexuality Leaflet
The psychology and sexuality leaflet was created targeting those above the age of 15 years. 15 years children are not too young to understand their sexuality. At this age, most people have learned about sex from parents, online, school, or friends. The aim of the information in the leaflet is to inform the reader of how various factors influence sexual orientation and how they vary among individuals. People have become more aware of the reasoning of the different social preferences over the years. Different things can influence the sexual preferences. Some studies show that it is a biological anomaly. There are biological accounts and psychoanalytical accounts that help to understand the sexual preferences. People should be aware of the different preferences in the society. The leaflet focused on sexual preferences, sex, different preferences, and psychological theories on sexuality and what they suggest. It is simple and easier to understand.
The Creation of the Leaflet
The leaflet was created to help people have a better sense of understanding of different sexual preferences. The main aim was to help the readers to accept the sexual preferences of others, apart from heterosexuals. Some psychological theories were applied to in the leaflet to help explain the differences in sexual orientation among individuals. Sexual orientation is the pattern of attraction to other individuals. The attraction can be emotional, physical, sexual, or romantic. The attraction can be recognized in different sexual preferences like bisexual, homosexual, heterosexual, or questioning. Some adolescents may question their sexual preferences in different ways.
The Agenda of the Leaflet
The agenda of the leaflet was not direct until the last part of the paper. It was done to help provoke and stimulate a form of debate in the minds of those reading. Another agenda was to help expand integration of the theories, a technique that can help convincing reads gradually. The booklet also aimed to address the biased beliefs and the stigma that most people have towards those who have unlike sexual preferences in our society. In the leaflet, sex as an act has been there throughout history. According to all the Judeo-Christian religions and others, sex is a natural action with the purpose of procreation. Other religions regard sex as a spiritual duty. Scientifically, sex is seen as important for the continuation of species. Therefore, sex is an important topic to discuss.
Explaining Sexual Preferences and Theories
The leaflet shows why there are different sexual preferences. There are different reasons why the sexual preferences differ from one individual to another. According to Ellis, homosexuality is a biological anomaly (1928). Sexual behavior and conditioning influence sexuality in different ways. Reparative therapy can also influence sexuality by using behaviorism and psychoanalysis. Bandura explained that sexuality is a result of social learning (1977).
Main Theories Used
The main theories used are conditioning and social learning theories. The ideas were used to educate the readers on how the environment can influence sexual preferences; this was stated after explaining that the preferences can be determined by biological reasons. This was done to help and persuade the readers on how biological influence, our experiences, and the environment influence the sexual preferences among different individuals. This shows that a person cannot choose their sexual orientations, but an individual is affected to be hypnotized to homosexual and heterosexual as an individual develops. The explanation was to help and convince the readers to accept the fact that the sexual orientations can be set and also can be changed later in life.
Classical and Operant Conditioning Theories
One theory that was used to explain how the preferences are influenced was the classical conditioning theory (Pavlov 1927). The theory was chosen because it covers the habitual side of a person's sexual orientation which may be formed. The theory brings two stimuli together always to let the responses to transfer between the two, which lead to associative learning if a person is exposed to arousal and stimulation or presence of stimuli (same or opposite sex). The association can be developed, and the person will be conditioned to be aroused or stimulated. The idea in this theory is the presence of two stimuli.
The operant conditioning is based on the results which determine if the behavior can be repeated or not. There are two distinctions, the one that is reinforced and the other is punished which the behavior is less likely to be repeated. The reinforced behavior is likely to be repeated. The theory relies on experience heavily, for example, if a person has intercourse and has a bad experience, it will hinder the person from repeating the intercourse. The theory suggests that experiences can influence sexuality.
Social Learning Theory
Social learning is another theory that was chosen because it was easier to understand, this makes it suitable for the audience of the leaflet. Not everyone who picks the leaflet will read something that is challenging. For this leaflet case, it may be a hindrance when portraying the last information if it is not well perceived. Also, the theory was selected since it can be related to the society today. The people who have a similar experience in the social preferences can easily identify with this theory in some manner because most people have experience in the social learning process in their lives. Consequently, the leaflet can involve the readers and explain the point that is being made regarding sexuality. Bandura argued that behavior was not just a result of punishment and reinforcement. Other processes like limitation, observation, and modeling are important. Young children can imitate others' behavior when they see that they are reinforced. A good example is when a girl learns to play with toys because other girls are rewarded for playing with toys. A boy may not play with the same toys because he sees that other boys are punished for playing with the toys or they are not rewarded.
Rejected Theories
Some theories were rejected when deciding the best theories to use in the leaflet. Freud's psychosocial development theory is among the theories that were rejected. It was not selected because it may not have delivered the information that was needed to promote the acceptance of different preferences in people. Freud's theory was not fit because it is hard summarizing the information to help meet the purpose of the leaflet. Also, there was no evidence supporting Freud's theory which suggests that sexual orientation is influenced by sexual abuse, childhood experiences, parenting, and other life events. But, some studies found that the aspects of sexual expression have a basis and the parental attitudes towards particular sexual orientation. This may affect how an individual experiments with the behaviors related to some sexual orientation.
The Final Part of the Leaflet
After explaining the theories, the last part focused on the main point of our leaflet. Information from the research conducted in 1950 by Dr. Evelyn Hooker and other researchers helped to invalidate the belief that those with different sexual preferences apart from heterosexual were not normal or they had a problem balancing needs that were conflicting in their environment. The part was essential for our leaflet because it assists to lessen the stigma that the community may have against the individuals who have different sexual preferences, through the use heterosexual comparison which shows similar results. The sameness aids to build a disagreement in point of view; it also enables the readers to associate or sympathize with the heterosexuals or homosexuals if they are of different sexual orientation. The final information was given to put together the elements of the elements of the essay to contend for the integration of the different sexual preferences among individuals.
Challenges and Improvements
There were some challenges when making the leaflet. Selection of the theories to be used is one of the challenges. Determining the theories that would have met the purpose was a challenging process. This is because most theories are not related in a way that would assist in spreading the information that was purposed. Also, some theories that would have been used to meet the purpose but were not fit to be used. The argument about sexuality and the genes is a good example. The theory would have been a good debate but would not have served the purpose of the leaflet because it would have taken much of the discussion.
Summarizing the chosen theories in clear and understandable manner was another challenge. Summarizing the theories was a hard task when finalizing the pamphlet. It was essential to cover all the information related. However, to cover the message it required someone to describe a section before that not beyond the theory. This would help to make certain that there was a flow. It was also done to provide enough enlightenment to make certain that no further reading was needed. The aim of the leaflet was to intrigue the readers further afterward but not read and perceive the message passed. This challenge was confronted by highlighting the information that was being portrayed and the psychological theories were broken down into different parts. This helped to understand the points. Before reaching the actual content of the leaflet, many drafts were made.
Regarding improvement, more images would have been used to portray the points made. The images could help to attract the audience and understand the information better. The case of the 'gay gene' was mentioned in the pamphlet, which could have been executed with a diagram instead of only explaining in words. A diagram could have made understanding easier and help improve the view that was being portrayed in the pamphlet.
Evaluating the Success of the Leaflet
An individual was given the leaflet to help gauge and determine the success of the message. The individual was a heterosexual and excited of the theories that were presented in the pamphlet. He had the same opinion that the theories were clear and easier to follow. The theories showed a good understanding of the information that was being explained. However, the individual questioned why reparative therapy was mentioned and what it was. The reparative therapy was included with a purpose because all bullet points were discussed other than the one within the pamphlet. It was included so as motivate someone to find out what it is, and after getting the information from the pamphlet.
Applying Psychology in Real Life
When applying psychology in real life, a single theory is not enough. More theories are needed to get more essential possibilities of the events that happen daily. A theory cannot give a solution to all the circumstances by itself. However, it may be hard when using different theories because the theories may give diverging ideas on a particular idea. It may be hard to know the best theory to apply because it should not only have to critically evaluate all the points but also ensure that it can be applicable in current situations that an individual is in. It was found out that to convince someone psychologically, one should have the ability to describe the main points of the theory for an individual to understand. This may be hard because individuals don't think in the same manner. The best approach to use is being objective, but this may be hard because not all things are psychological. A theory may have authentication and research to prove a circumstance, but there may be evidence and studies that counter it. Therefore, the techniques used in the study can be questioned like the sources. This shows that using an authentic source is essential. Finally, when offering the advice that is psychological, opposition will always be there because of the factors discussed. To overpower the opposition, it is better to weigh all sides.
