In this thesis, I use a Darwinian approach to explore the role of sexual-dimorphism in human behaviour across development and into early adulthood, and its impact on adult mating-strategies. In Studies 1-2, I explore the importance of heredity and developmental stability of facial characteristics in light of theories of sexual selection. Using family photos, judgements of faces of parents and offspring revealed that facial sexual-dimorphism is passed on from father to son and mother to daughter, while inheritance of attractiveness is apparent only in daughters. I also examine the stability of facial appearance across development (infancy, childhood, young-adult), and find that sexual-dimorphism remains stable for both sexes, while attractiveness is stable only in females. Feminine characteristics are perceived as attractive in infant faces, and feminine characteristics have been perceived as looking more neotenous. In light of these data, I develop a theory for increased preferences for neoteny in human infants (Chapter 4). In studies 3-4, I examine the developmental milestones, puberty and first sexual intercourse in relationship to adult mate-choice strategies. Women who experience first coitus early prefer increased facial-masculinity in potential mates. In men, both early coitus and early puberty relate to increased preferences for facial-femininity in potential mates. In study 5, I look at attributions of peri-pubertal children (aged 11-12 years) to peer faces manipulated on sexually-dimorphic features. Children's attractiveness judgements show evidence of adult-like preferences, with boys preferring feminine girls' faces and girls preferring feminised boys' faces. Both girls and boys attribute the negative stereotype of bullying to more masculinised boys' faces. Study 6 concerns the relationship between two modalities of sexual-dimorphism, pheromones and facial characteristics. Adults indicate preferences from a continuum of sexually-dimorphic face-shapes, in addition to rating sex-specific pheromones on pleasantness. Individuals who prefer sex-typical facial characteristics in opposite-sex faces also judged the sex-typical pheromone as more pleasant.

Since Draper & Harpending (1982) proposed that father absence would be associated with a shift in reproductive strategy, a body of literature has accumulated supporting their claims. This thesis explores further aspects of father absence theory, utilising computergraphic facial processing. It opens with an overview of both father absence theory (Chapter 1) and the Evolutionary Psychology of attraction (Chapter 2). Part 1 Part 1 explores the meaning of masculinity in partner choice scenarios. Male facial masculinity co-varied with facial age but not apparent facial health both in tenns of women's preferences (Study 1) and women's direct perceptions (Study 2). This suggested that masculinity in male faces is not a cue to immunocompetence health status as other authors have suggested, In Study 3, while masculine faces were perceived as more dominant than feminised faces, they were otherwise considered poorer quality partners. It was suggested that masculinity was attractive because of a 'sexy son' mechanism (dominance increasing offspring reproductive success), which was traded off against the anti-social traits associated with masculinity. Part 2 Studies 4, 5 and 6 found that father absence or poor relationships with the parents generally reduced masculinity preference and age preference (although in Study 5, this effect was moderated by relationship status). This contradicted predictions made from traditional father absence literature (that father absence should be associated with a short term strategy and therefore masculinity preference). Sociological explanations were discounted as family background did not relate to the traits women said they desired in a partner (Study 7). Altogether these results raised questions about the attractiveness and self-esteem of father absent females. Part 3 therefore investigated the physical development of these females. Part 3 Study 8 found that marital difficulties between parents were associated with an increase in perceived facial masculinity in both male and female offspring's faces, a decrease in facial attractiveness and increased weight and waist-hip ratio in women. Study 9 found that levels of progesterone were inversely related to quality of parental relationship. The overarching conclusions of the thesis were that there appears to be an effect' of physical masculinisation which is associated with father absence. This masculinisation may be the predicator for previously observed father absence effects, and the results in Part 2. As such, attachment based explanations of father absence effects (such as Belsky et al, 1991) may be redundant.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:29:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2007-02-02Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:59:05Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 elias_va_me_assis.pdf: 1043261 bytes, checksum: afd1e1dd4322b0395924fdb47ca77376 (MD5) / O presente trabalho buscou realizar um estudo psicanalítico sobre as transexualidades a partir da clínica com transexuais femininas, no âmbito hospitalar, e sua demanda de alteração corporal, dirigida ao corpo médico, com o discurso de adequarem o seu sexo anatômico à sua alma feminina. Pretendeu-se com esta pesquisa oferecer uma reflexão para o tema da transexualidade partindo da ótica de quem a vive, ou seja, sobre o discurso de adequar o sexo na singularidade de quem o expressa, mantendo-se a articulação entre o individual e o social. Utilizou-se o método de pesquisa em psicanálise, optando-se pela narrativa na apresentação dos casos clínicos pautados no acompanhamento específico de sete transexuais femininas adultas (que não mais estavam em atendimento), possibilitando vislumbrar um panorama representativo da dinâmica subjetiva de cada uma. A questão principal que norteia este trabalho se refere a: como se organiza a subjetividade de uma pessoa que, em nome de sua identidade sexual, demanda uma transformação definitiva no corpo, com o propósito de aproximar sua anatomia ao sexo biológico oposto? A leitura psicanalítica do material clínico obtido privilegiou os aspectos que permearam a busca pela cirurgia de 'mudança de sexo' e os processos de subjetivação que atuaram na construção desse pedido de alteração corporal. Foi possível constatar que tais construções subjetivas sofrem os efeitos dos modos como os processos de identificação e sexuação foram vivenciados. As saídas ou soluções encontradas, em sua dinâmica pulsional, revelam que, enquanto um fenômeno do nosso tempo, além da fascinação pela imagem, a busca pela tecnologia (que se supõe ser capaz de dominar o Real) esteve pautada em um duplo eixo: um horizontal... / The current paper results from clinical experience with female transsexuals patients who look forward to undergoing sex-change surgery in order to adjust their physical body to fit their feminine soul. This research intends to address the issue of transexualities through the eyes of he who lives it, i.e., through their sex adjustment speech in the singularity of he who expresses it, keeping a reflection on the articulation between individual and social factors. The approach method used on seven adult female transsexuals (no longer being treated) was research in psychoanalysis and narrative in clinical vignettes in order to offer a representative panorama of the psychic dynamics of each one. The main issue of this paper is how to organize the subjectivity of a person who, in the name of their sexual identity, demands a definitive body adjustment so as to bring their body closer to the one of the opposite gender. The psychoanalytical reading of clinical data collected privileged the reasons for the sexchange seek and the subjectivity processes that acted in favor of the body adjustment plead. It was possible to conclude that these subjective constructions depend on how the processes of identification and sexuation were lived. The exist, i.e., the solutions found, in its pulsional dynamics, reveal that, while a phenomenon of our time, beyond image fascination, the seek for technology (which assumes being able to dominate the Real) in some cases traveled on double tracks: horizontally in relation to his fellow, so that the desire for another man wouldn't be homossexual but a result of his heterossexuality, getting rid of homophobia and stigma) ; vertically, in relation to the Other of science, created in his imaginary that it is the shape of his genital that defines his sexual identity and not the... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Fictional narratives of 68 female undergraduates classified as either high or low on sex-guilt were rated for libidinal content following subliminal exposure to either a sex-related or a neutral stimulus. Separate dependent measures were obtained for libidinal derivatives bearing either a transparently "close" or a symbolically "distant" relationship to the sex-related stimulus. Subjects in the sex-related stimulus condition expressed significantly fewer close libidinal derivatives than subjects in the neutral condition. High sex-guilt subjects' distant derivative production revealed a near-significant trend toward repression in the neutral condition, but the greatest amount of expression in the sex-related condition. Type of defenses employed are discussed as a function of subliminally perceived stimulus threat.

A literature review revealed 15 variables as commonly studied as associated with adolescent pregnancy. The research showed conflicting results in many of these areas. Twenty-one pregnant and 20 non-pregnant adolescents were tested using the Arlin Test of Formal Reasoning (ATFR) and the Reiss's Premarital Sexual Permissiveness Scale. Pregnant participants were expected to score lower than non-pregnant participants on the ATFR; and, the low permissives (based on responses to the Reiss's Premarital Sexual Permissiveness Scale) were expected to score higher than high permissives on the ATFR. However, the results did not support the hypotheses. Several areas were examined for exploratory purposes. There was a significant difference between high permissives and low permissives for parent/peer orientation for sexual behavior attitudes. Additional exploratory demographic information was collected using a General Information Questionnaire.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of the psychological sex role of a person making sociometric nominations to the psychological sex role of such persons nominated. It was hypothesized that similar psychological and biological sexed persons would choose each other as friends and that similar psychological but opposite biological sexed persons would reject each other as non-friends.

No description available.

This study is designed to investigate individual differences in response to emotional and sexual infidelity and by doing so place the Big-5 model of personality in another important social context.

The aim of this research was to investigate the role of sex, ethnicity and cognitive appraisals, separately and in combination, on the physiological stress response. One hundred and eight undergraduate students from two North Texas universities participated in the study. They were subjected to a laboratory stressor and heart rate, peripheral temperature and cortisol levels were measured pre-, during-, and post- stressor. Perceived stress and cognitive appraisals were measured via self-report. Multivariate analysis of variance tests were conducted to analyze the main and interaction effects during baseline, reactivity and post-stress recovery. Results indicated some significant main effects for sex and ethnicity but no consistent pattern of results or interactions among variables were revealed. The study's implications and areas of future research are discussed.

No description available.