Social and Cultural Views of Health - Assignment Example

Healthy and Unhealthy Human Sexuality Different societies practice cultures that are slightly or entirely different. Good cultural practice in one society could be an abomination in another society. Every community struggles to train its members and youths about skills relevant for observing and cherishing particular cultural practices. Communities also simultaneously train and inform their members about consequences of diverting from particular cultural practices. To mingle and gain acceptance in another community, individuals require recognizing and appreciating the importance of diversity in advancing social order. Diversity enable individuals to understand, accept, appreciate and acknowledge differences that exist across societies. Human sexuality is one aspect of cultural practices whose understanding varies from one community or society to another. What is proper and harmless behavior in one community or society can be a serious abomination or breach of social norms in another society. Different communities or societies hold varied understanding about human sexuality. For instance, consider the case of Inis Beag and Mangaian communities. What is right sexual practice within Mangaian community is totally wrong and an abomination within the Inis Beag community. Inis Beag community prohibits premarital marriages and recommends that males and females intending to marry should socialize and stay apart. Marriage is this community is a function reserved for men in the mid 30s and women in the mid 20s (Rathus, Nevid & Fitchner-Rathus, 2014). In Inis Beag community, it is a cultural responsibility for mothers to train their daughters to submit to sexual desires of their husbands. It is through such submissions that the couples can fulfill God’s command requiring human beings to be fruitful and fill the Earth. The persuasion to be submissive also paints another understanding of Inis Beag community that women do not need to be sexually active or seek for sexual intercourse, but relax and wait to respond to their husbands’ sexual desires. According to Rathus, Nevid and Fitchner-Rathus (2014), men in Inis Beag community view sexual intercourse as a tiring activity and should be infrequent. The nature of cultural practice within Inis Beag community that restricts women from sexual lust while persuading men that sexual intercourse is tiring makes sexual intercourse a special activity that is worth performing only when seeking for children. Sexual intercourse in this community is not a pleasurable activity to enjoy. When playing sex, men mount their women and rush to ejaculate while preserving their women and ensure that the latter do not attain orgasm. Orgasm for women in Inis Beag community is tantamount to breach of proper sexual norms. The community also regards nudity as a serious taboo and no couple should see nakedness of other partner. It is for the reason that couples in Inis Beag community performs sexual intercourse at night and in darkness while wearing their undergarments (Rathus, Nevid & Fitchner-Rathus, 2014). Mangaian community practices and adores sexual behaviors that would be serious breach of human sexuality when practiced within Ini Beag community. The Mangaian culture encourages boys and girls to interact freely and explore their sexual features through activities like masturbation and other sexual plays. When at the age of 13, Mangaian boys get initiation into manhood and undergo training concerning proper sexual techniques (Rathus, Nevid & Fitchner-Rathus, 2014). Boys then find girl friends to practice the acquired sexual skills at the secluded beaches. Alternatively, boys can visit girl friends in the huts shared with other family members. During the visit that usually takes place at night, parents of girlfriends pretend to be asleep and not aware of the ongoing operation. However, parents listen and set their attention to hear when their girls laugh to signalize that they have attained orgasm. Girls can have many boyfriends visiting in the same night and may attain multiple orgasms. Unlike in the Inis Beag community, orgasm in Mangaian community enjoys great importance and recognition during sexual intercourse. Rathus, Nevid and Fitchner-Rathus (2014) report that orgasm is universal in women and failure to attain it is a show of abnormal physiological and sexual processes. Unlike the Inis Beag community where premarital sex is an abomination, Mangaian community devalues virginity with belief that virgins lack experience to offer sexual pleasure and satisfaction to men. In this line, Mangaian community considers sexual intercourse as an activity to draw and gain pleasure. There is no restriction as to the appropriate time or moment for individuals to engage in sexual intercourse. According to Rathus, Nevid and Fitchner-Rathus (2014), the ancient Hebrew community had its own understanding of human sexuality that was different from other communities. The ancient Hebrew community regarded sexual intercourse as an activity that strengthens marriage as it leads to satisfy experience of married couples alongside fulfilling God’s command requiring human beings to fill the Earth. Within the ancient Hebrew society, childlessness and diseases such as boil defined accepted basis for couples to divorce (McClone, 2011). The community also forbade homosexuality and lesbianism arguing that such sexual practices threaten to discontinue the aspect of family as there would be no births. In the ancient Greek, the frequency of sexual intercourse for couples depended on men’s profession. Men who had no occupation could have sex daily, men who were laborers could have sex twice a week, ass drivers could have sex once a week, camel drivers could have sex once a month while sailors could have sex once in six months. This practice depicts slight similarities in understanding of human sexuality between the ancient Hebrew and Inis Beag communities. The main similarity is that sexual intercourse is tiring for men and should be infrequent for working involved in difficult tasks (Rathus, Nevid & Fitchner-Rathus, 2014). The ancient Hebrew community also forbade adultery for both men and women. Any adulterous person is liable to stoning and clearance from the society. Men owned wives and it was abomination for one man to sleep with another man’s wife. Sleeping with another man’s wife translated to breach of property rights and the suspect could pay for damages (Rathus, Nevid & Fitchner-Rathus, 2014). Just like the ancient Hebrew, ancient Greek community valued family life and recognized marriage as being between men and women. Greek men valued and admired strong and heavy body regarded as important in nude wrestling. This means that exposing nudity was not a breach of approved sexual norms like it happens within the Inis Beag community. The ancient Greek community tolerated homosexual behaviors only to the extent that such practice did not interfere with the institution of marriage and family (Rathus, Nevid & Fitchner-Rathus, 2014). Pederasty, which is the love of boys, also enjoyed toleration within the ancient Greek community. However, pederasty could not prevent individual practicing from engaging in male-female relationships or marriage. The ancient Greek community also seemed to tolerate prostitution. Large numbers of respected prostitutes were courtesans and concubines, who were also slaves. Women within the ancient Greek had lesser rights than slaves and subject to orders of relatives of their male friends before marriage. Once married, women became property of their husbands and served roles limited to house chores (Rathus, Nevid & Fitchner-Rathus, 2014). As demonstrated by McClone (2011), the Christian society regards sexual intercourse as deserving for married couples and not for premarital lovers. With reference to rampant fornications and adultery practiced by the rulers of the ancient Rome, early Christian society regarded sexuality as sinful. The Christian society also prohibits prostitution and urges husbands to be faithful to their wives and vice versa. In fact, it is only under situations of adultery that the Bible permits divorce of married couples. Divorce sought on any other ground different from adultery is tantamount to weakening of social structure believed to support the church. Furthermore, Christian society prohibits masturbation, lesbianism, bestiality, homosexuality, anal intercourse and genital-oral contact as outlined in the book of Leviticus. Islam, which is a dominant religion in the Middle East, North Africa and Southern part of Asia, also holds its own ground on human sexuality. The Islamic society values marriages and recommends people to seek sexual fulfillment in marriages. In that line, the Islam traditions forbids premarital sex and considers adultery as social shame that are liable to social condemnation that may involve stoning in conservative Islamic societies (Rathus, Nevid & Fitchner-Rathus, 2014). Islamic men have obligation to marry a maximum of four wives but women face restriction to one husband. Islamic ordinances also restrict public and social interaction between men and women. In addition, Islamic laws demand that women should cover their faces and heads with scarves and avoid interaction with men who are not their husbands. Reference McClone, K. (2011). Sexual Health A Christian Perspective. Human Development, 32(1), 3-9. Rathus, S., Nevid, J. & Fitchner-Rathus, L. (2014). Human Sexuality in a World of Diversity. 9th Ed. New York: Pearson Publisher. Read More