Can Sexual Desire Be the Key to Interpret Human Behavior - Essay Example

Can sexual desire be the key to interpret human behavior?

Sexual intercourse is a fundamental part of the lives of human beings serving the crucial role of procreation when sexual partners become intimate and have their offspring. The main purpose of sex may be to enable the survival of species but sexual intercourse goes far beyond the task of procreation giving the sex partners excitement and pleasure above other activities. It is a means by which peoples’ instincts seek fulfillment by making contact with their partners who arouse them and experience a satisfaction of their flesh. The human desires to have their partners close by and eliminate the feeling of aloneness have an effect on human behavior to some extent.

The psychological and emotional satisfaction derived from sexual intercourse has a grip on the mind and flesh of the human beings involved which makes them desire the same feeling over and over again. This ecstasy experienced from sex is referred to as an orgasm and every person is born with the sexual desire as an impulse to reproduce and ensure species survival as well as a source of enjoyment. Children experience various stages of development in their lives where they desire to experiment by pleasuring themselves in different manners with different items (Freud, 162).

The aim of this paper is to examine the impact of sexual desire on behavior with its effect clearly existent in people from their infancy stage. Sexual needs are a fact that is inbuilt in human beings just as the craving for food exists from the point of infancy. The assumptions by culture and ethics which prohibit people from expressing their sexual desires and anticipations should, therefore, be withdrawn and being aroused due to the sight or touch of one’s sexual partner should not be condemned.

The society we live in views sex as a vice from a puritan perspective that does not permit people to express their sexual needs until a certain age is reached. It is morally wrong for individuals to express their feelings despite how they may view their relation from a personal look. The traditional philosopher Alan Soble’s, argues that the desires for sex should not be enclosed or hidden away as if they are a crime against humanity (Soble, 35). In the traditional setup, the sexual desires were not an urge to shy away from and people who openly expressed their sexual love experienced a great psychological and emotional health.

Every society has different beliefs about sexual desires and how they view the emotions of love and sexuality among different genders and people of different ages. This means that people are restricted with different implied laws from the social norms set up in relation to love, premarital sex, homosexuality, and other sexual behaviors. The United States has less restrictive laws in comparison to the other industrialized countries. Other countries such as the Arab countries have very restrictive norms on how its’ citizens can behave and interact between opposite genders.

Religious beliefs have over time been on the forefront of upholding moral values that preach against sexual intercourse or even arousal between unmarried people. Religion teaches people to abstain from sexual desires and sex is a sacred act given to people by God and they should not engage in it unless they are married. Religion also has a stern opinion on gay and lesbian marriages and it remains fixed on the belief that sex between individuals who are of the same gender is sinful.

Sex education is an important part of sexuality in human beings since it teaches children the way to respond to their inbound desires. The way that children get informed on the issues of sexual desire is essential to how they respond to their feelings as they develop in accordance with the psychosexual stages in the theory by Freud. The school systems have incorporated this essential topic in their curriculum for the purpose of exposing their kids to the knowledge of sex and how they will react to the desires when they do arise in them.

The education about sex given to the kids varies in every culture and country with each community giving details and topics on sex that they desire to impact on them. The sexual behaviors which seem appropriate to the different societies are the major influencers of the topics taught to the kids. The essence of giving children sexual education is to avoid them from following misleading sources such as the media or peers who may give confusing information that contradicts the beliefs of the culture.

The media has for a long time had an influence on the way people view sex with their frequent coverage through images, movies, magazines, and reports that discuss the body and roles of different genders in sexuality. This information is at times, problematic causing people to get the wrong concept of the act of sexual intercourse. Some empowering details are also disclosed through the media showing the normality of sexuality through the necessary attitudes for sex such as love and care. The media, thus, contributes to the manner in which people think about sexual desire and react to arousal.

The beliefs people have about sex are definitely shaped by the various external factors discussed above in the paper, the internal and personal motivations that affect a person’s behavior are the next piece of crucial information relevant to sexuality. Sexuality is deeply linked with emotions in human beings that can interpret their behavior once they have received a sexual encounter or an impulse leading to an attraction. If the sole reason people engaged in sex was to procreate, then a simple insertion would be enough to provide the reproduction purpose. This is unfortunately not the case since people display passion, love, and intimacy in the process of a sexual encounter.

These strong emotions are an evidence of the irrationality displayed by human beings under the feelings of love, passion, sexual desire and attraction towards the opposite sex. Sexual intercourse has a great power on human behavior and it brings people to a different level of thinking. The burning desire to engage in sex gives people a temporary pulsating glow that transcends other rational behaviors causing people to behave in a crazy manner that may lead them to the risk of even doing a wrong thing.

The ecstasy of sex goes beyond physical pleasure giving the individuals engaged in the activity a deeper level of connection that is both psychological and emotional. The sexual expression may be among the feelings that cannot be repressed in the human psychology since its impulses are too strong to resist. This may be described as love or lust for a sexual partner but it still transcends other human desires giving an interpretation of the irrational human behavior when people are in love or under the lustful sexual desires.

The difference between the opinions of people on sexual intercourse and the justifiable beliefs on the sensitive topic is a matter which philosophers have tried to uncover over endless periods of time. It has brought on a debate that has split their opinions right in the middle with some of them firm on the belief of love as an illusion that motivates sexual desire while corrupting the minds of people and some have maintained that sex is an expression of peoples’ love (Scruton, 63). Investigations aimed at compiling this paper have indicated that both arguments are true but one particular side holds more weight on the topic of sexual desire.

Research has proved that sexual desire does not solely originate from feelings of love but other attractions which may be triggered by the physical appearance of a person, the exposure to pornography and other perversions. These perversions eliminate the need for care and affection for people to engage in sexual intercourse. Some human beings are believed to be promiscuous due to their increased urge to engage in sex with different partners. Sexual attraction does not always need to be acted upon which introduces the biological concept of the desire which can be calmed by an act of masturbation.

The sexual energy possessed by human beings influencing their desires to be with a sexual partner are, therefore, not controlled by love but a primary instinct to engage in the satisfactory act and continue with their lives until the impulse rises again in them. This is the reason some sexual needs can be pervasive and very erotic affecting the stable psychology of human beings who become addicted to the act and involved in risky behaviors.

Sexual desire is different in men and women due to their primitive personalities which view the attraction in two perspectives. Men are thought to view sexuality as a primary reason for their engagement in interpersonal relationships and they rarely get enough of the feeling brought by sexual pleasure. Women view sexuality as a secondary purpose of interpersonal relations with their primary purpose being intimacy, affection, and companionship which breeds the desire to have sex. For this reasons, men are believed to be less discriminative of their preferred sexual partners while women are highly selective of their mates.

The power of romantic love controlling human behavior and beliefs towards sexual desire as expressed by some philosophers such as Alan Soble are a positive attempt to look at the influence of sexuality on people’s behavior. His definition of love “Eros is acquisitive, egocentric or even selfish; agape is a giving love. Eros is an inconstant, unfaithful love, while agape continues to give despite ingratitude” (Soble, 94) gives a guideline to work within this research illuminating the facts with a description in a philosophical manner.

Sexual desire as described in the paper has a visible impact on human behavior and can be used to interpret individuals’ actions. Cultural norms placed in societies act as an ethical standard to manage the actions of people in regards to their arousal due to the sight of an attractive person of the opposite gender. Information passed through the media aims to elaborate on gender roles in sexuality. The psychological, emotional, spiritual and biological roles of sexuality and sexual desire can be used to interpret human behavior affecting even those who condemn and resist the existence of the urges in every human being.