Sexuality At Different Life Stages

Richard (Ty) Trevino

PSY 265 - Ch. 13 Assignment

Axia College - University of Phoenix

Anna, an adolescent girl, is very much in love with her boyfriend who is three years older

than she. He is putting a lot of pressure on her to have sex. At the same time, she is anxious

about her parents' attitude towards her boyfriend. Her mother constantly warns her about dating

an older boy and assumes that he intends to take advantage of her. The therapist needs to coach

Anna on the sexual decision-making process, including addressing her feelings and also what she

would recommend, in regards to what would be related to her mother's anxiety.

The therapist would then translate data as a simplified version of advice for the child, to be

capable of using them as their own rather than something that was becoming an imposition upon

them as their own rather than something imposed on the child. "Laying down the law" is not likely to be

as effective as providing information and encouraging discussions with the child, which could be

used to make sound decisions and not out of dire necessities. Convictions are to be clearly stated,

with advice provided, regarding sex with expressions of the parents' values and beliefs. Parents

of teenage children often react to sexual experimentation with threats or punishments, which may

cause adolescents to rebel or tune them out. The adolescent may learn to associate sex with

fear and anger, which may persist for awhile, even in adult relationships. Parents may find it

as a more constructive way to convey concerns about the consequences of children's actions in a

loving and nonthreatening way that invites an open response. Say, for example, "I'm worried

about the way you are experimenting, and I'd like to give you some information that you may

not have. Can we talk about it?" (Calderone & Johnson,1989, p. 141).

Tom and Susan are an elderly couple. Tom has been retired for several years, and Susan is

more recently retired. She has shown a renewed interest in sexual activity. Tom has not

reciprocated Susan's interest as he is anxious about his sexual ability at this age. The therapist

is going to address the physical and psychological changes which affect sexuality in both Tom's

and Susan's life together. Tom and Susan should focus on more oral methods of pleasuring each

other since sex organs of elderly people are not quite as sensitized compared to when they were

younger. This desensitization of an elderly couples sex organs leads to recommendations by a

therapist to consider alternative methods of pleasuring one another. Susan would be showing a

renewed interest in sexual activity with Tom, since she has been most likely taking estrogen

treatments.