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Theories Of Sexual Behavior

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Sexual behavior is a topic that raises multiple issues that are worth concern. It is a subject that many social scientists are interested in, especially in providing insight to social problems that might arise from sexual behavior. Social scientific evidence shows that problems have arisen from teenage pregnancy, prostitution, and pornography. These issues can be solved through looking at the problem with the insight of sociological theoretical perspectives. These perspectives include conflict theory, functionalism, and symbolic interactionism. Conflict theory holds the idea that society is characterized by inequality based on race, gender, social class, and other dividing factors. It also states that social change is possible through extensive …show more content…
Institutions are seen to be the main performers of functioning societal stability, and change is desirable through slow circumstances, as fast change threatens social structure. Lastly, symbolic interactionism assumes that the roles of individuals are constructed around interaction. Words and gestures are the main basis for this theory, as individuals are dependent on the symbolism they hold that define their roles and the situations they find themselves in. Problems with teenage pregnancy have become evident in the United States. Some health problems posed from teenage pregnancy include high blood pressure, anemia, early labor, premature birth, and low birth rate. Other problems that can be caused by teen pregnancy include the children to have impaired neurological development, behavioral problems, and poor school performance. With a total of 71.5 pregnancies per 1,000 women aged 15-19, this number can be broken up into racial groups with the intent of showing the presence of conflict theory in the U.S. The pregnancy rate of non-Hispanic whites is 37.7 per 1,000 teens, for blacks the rate is 99.5 per 1,000, and for Hispanic teenagers, the rate is 83.5 per 1,000. Conflict theory states that society is characterized by …show more content…
It appeals to lustful desires and is defined by federal law as obscene. It also lacks artistic, political, and scientific value. The pornography industry is a multi-billion-dollar industry, and has many outlets for investors, companies, filmmakers, actors, and stores. One of the most well-known outlet in our day and age includes online websites. There has been research done that states there is no correlation between sexual violence and pornography, but some disagree and point to notoriously criminal persons that participated in pornography, including serial killer, Ted Bundy. But, all points are arguable in the case of symbolic interactionism. The Attorney’s General Commission on Pornography has declared that pornography is harmful and can cause aggression in males towards females and create abusive sexual relationships including sex crimes and in some cases, pedophilia. This proves that pornography is a disputed topic among sociologists, and a neutral standpoint will be maintained. Symbolic Interactionism suggests that the reason pornography is so popular is because of men needing to legitimize their sexual aptitude in order to also legitimize their authority. This point of view is often used as a feminist theory to prove the harmful effects of pornography, and the idea of maintaining male authority in what they believe, a male dominated society.

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