Psych Sex Group Reflexivity II
From Technolotics
This is a sub section of the Psych Sex Group wiki.
The groups second reflexivity statements are stored here.
Contents |
Gareth
I’m confronted with a question in writing this reflexivity. Whether to focus on the changes and developments in my views on sex and sexuality over the course of this research or, as Chiara has done, to write more widely about sexuality, society and youth, in a way not covered by our original reflexive commentaries. Fortunately the choice is an easy one, as (whether a result of confirmatory bias, or the essential immutability of my character) few of my views have altered over the course of this study.
Briefly, I still believe in a sliding scale age of consent, with stiffer penalties for greater age differentials / abuses of power etc, and the complete separation of sexual related to minor breaches of the age of consent from those of rape and child abuse – a view confirmed by our Interviewees. I continue to believe in free access to information, and consider that in fact censorship is such a dangerous tool that it should be allowed to constrain discourse only in the most outlying of circumstances. I still, in a view supported by our interviewees, believe that a facilitated discussion –in the absence of a groups day to day educator – with no prohibitions on questions, topics or free expression, is an essential part of sexual and civic education. Finally, I remain in favour of the free availability of contraception and abortion.
Getting back to a wider view, conducting the interviews with professionals and academics as a part of this project, I was surprised to find a great deal of uniformity of opinion on a whole variety of topics. This consensus seems in contrast to the apparently haphazard implementation of the ‘Stay Safe’ primary school programme, and optional elements of the ‘RSE’ second level programme; which seems to have emerged as a solution to the conflict between the changing values of a liberalising society and a traditional, ethically indoctrinated social cleavage – a solution ultimately benefiting no one, least of all children potentially deprived of the opportunity to develop the skills to deal with the contemporary hypersexualised, youth focused media environment. As one of our interviewee’s pointed out, the ability to critique the potentially damaging messages implicit in ones culture, and the challenges and choices facing young people – more apparent now than ever before – are essential protective devices we deny our children at their peril.
To address the issues raised by Chiara’s reflexivity, I have become convinced that the social changes which have swept society - primarily as a cascading result of the availability of contraception - have, whilst greatly increasing the freedom of individuals, particularly women, to take ownership of their own reproduction; placed stresses on the structure of intergender social relationships, and pressures on young women to express and behave sexually at a increased level, and at a younger age. It seems that whilst the yolk of paternalistic prohibition has been lifted, the milieu which has taken its place is not one of the liberated expression of sexual love, nor the permissive acceptance of interpersonal and intergender relationships – at least not primarily. Rather, a highly competitive and brutal environment, in which social conformity and superficial judgements dictated by media perpetuated stereotypes dictate sexual behaviour, has emerged – leading to a normalisation of short term matings between a majority of girls and women, a small cohort of men, socially determined as ‘fit’, and the romantic disenfranchisement of enormous numbers of both young, and post marital older men. This is a circumstance with I believe underlies an enormous amount of contemporary social problems – from the spread of STD’s, to adolescent and young adult binge drinking, to the high rate of male suicide, to rising levels of female depression. However its not a problem that I can conceive of a solution to.
Kiera
Having carried out this research project, the attitudes which I originally expressed in my reflexivity still hold true, however some of these have been amplified. As regards sex education in schools, having reviewed the curriculum and found out more about implementation of the curriculum in schools, I now feel even more strongly about my original assertion that sex education in Irish schools in insufficient to prepare the youth of Ireland to make mature and responsible decisions about sexual behaviour. I was also surprised and disappointed with the level of hostility with which Irish schools met us. I feel that many of these schools are still being influenced too much by the catholic church and if it were not for this influence, Irish students would be receiving a higher standard of sex education.
My views on the availability of contraception and information about sex remain the same. I believe contraception should be readily and freely available to teenagers, even those under the age of consent. I don’t believe that doing this would encourage teens to engage in sexual activity, it would simply protect them if they were doing so anyway. I also believe that information about sex, unplanned pregnancy, STD’s etc should be provided to teenagers through a clinic similar to the Brook clinic in the UK because a clinic exclusively for young people would remove any embarrassment which teens may currently feel in seeking advice. As regards the age of consent to sex in Ireland, I feel that this is an issue that needs to be clarified in written law. As it stands the legal age of 17 is open to interpretation and I don’t think that this should be the case.
Sorcha
Brendan
Connor
Stephen
Overall my opinions have stayed pretty much the same, but some have intensified. For example, I was quite suprised at how many schools clearly didn't want to have anything to do with our research. One reason for this may have been that our findings would reflect poorly on their sexual education. I am also suprised that most people (including female college undergraduates) thought that girls who carry condoms with them are 'easier' than girls who don't. I don't know of any research on this, but I'd say any decent quality experiement would probably find that factors like personality, environment and drugs / drink taken are much more reliable predictors of promiscuity / 'easiness' (are both terms interchangable??) than condom carrying. If this is a social heuristic I think its an unusual one because in my experience most heuristics tend to reflect some aspect of statistical reality, however misguided.
Eimer
Chiara
During these five months I had the opportunity to be involved in all the different parts of the project in all the different phases. One of the most interest part of our research for me was the opportunity to contact people to administered them the questionnaire and carried out the pilot study. In both these situation I had the opportunity to speak, discuss and exchange opinion with many different people of a vast range of age, from 16 to 45. I had to admit that in many cases I was left with many thought in my mind. In the past few months I have been developing different thought and consideration, in particular that even now it is really difficult to live one own sexuality in a healthy way from a physical and psychological perspective. There are still many people that are having sex only and just for fun, in a non responsible way (without any concern for STDS, pregnancy, under the use of drugs and alcohol) without been able to get emotional closeness to others. On the other end there are people that seem to live only in their brain and mind without giving the possibility to themselves to feel physical pleasure and gratification. It is common to keep separated the two sphere of mind and body, or intellectual satisfaction and physical pleasure or love and sex. There are few people that are so lucky to be in love with someone that complete them and stimulate them in a physical, mental, moral and intellectual way. Many time human been seek for sex when in reality they need not to feel alone and empty. On the other end some people want to fall in love, but they are not really able to get physically close to someone.
I have always considered my self as an open minded person, free and tolerant about more or less any kind of behaviour and relationship that was involving two consensual adults. I still remain coherent with my view, but with a new consideration. It is important to be able to feel worth of love before starting to have sex. I’m still in favour of occasional encounter, but it is important that we teach to our children that there is something else, more deep and at the same time highly satisfactory. It is important to break in our society the dualism of a “pure and platonic love” or a “wild and crazy sex”. Only when we will feel entitle to demand love and pleasure we will probably feel completely satisfy.
I was lucky enough in my life to have experienced an unconditioned, but probably too idealist and immature, love with my former boyfriend for nearly 7 years when I was a teenager and to have experience short but extremely passionate relationship as an adult. These last few months of the research put me in contact with many people that seem to live or in a way or in the other…. this make me more aware that at least for me, but I think to everybody, is important to desire both, that is important to work to obtain both love and sex..
Lois
All of my opinions that I had at the start of this project remain the same, however some things we have found out have seriously surprised me, usually not in a positive way. For example it seems like a lot of people (both men and women) believe that if a woman carries condoms with her it gives the impression that she is ‘easy’. As ‘easiness’ is considered to be a serious flaw amongst women this really shocked me. It is hard to believe that in our day and age women carrying condoms would be considered a negative thing. What does this imply for STDs and pregnancy, responsibility and maturity? It seems we are living in a country which in some ways is still fairly backwards. The response that we got from schools only serves to prove this point. Kids are not getting proper sexual education and they are growing up with notions that propriety and modesty are a better option than responsibility. If this is the state of play in 2006 Ireland then something is seriously wrong!
