My work depicts female sexual experience, particularly the complexity of the subject and corporeality. The series Pair, examines the notions of individual subjectivity as porous at the site of desire. These images explore moments of sensual experience - moments when the individual subject is destabilized and becomes indistinguishable from another. Very much like the Chinese brush painting tradition of having the viewer experience the mountain and streams in performative brush strokes, I intend to capture the feeling and expression of the body and communicate the feeling of that sexualized body with a calligraphic mark. Instead of illustrating a figure's features and thereby imposing a single narrative of the female body or sexuality, I use abstracted forms of watery mass created by pools of ink to draw the viewer into an atmosphere of erotic intensity between the two figures depicted. It is in that intensity that intimacy and connectiveness is expressed. The intertwining figures are separate entity yet they remain indistinguishable from one another, suggesting that subjectivity is destabilized. My painting isn't so much about the consciousness of mutual or co-dependency in a relationship, rather, that codependency is reinforced in the destabilization of the self during sex. I'm trying to capture a moment when both bodies opens up to each other. There are two figures depicted, yet the figures are one in the same. I can not possibly paint or express how another woman feels, I can not even paint how or what my partner feels, I can only express how my subjectivity is no-longer my own and becomes dependent and intertwine with another. So in a sense these figures express multiple selfies or are multiple self portraits. Geometric shapes outlined in gold overlays the figures and act as a placeholders for the ropes motifs that appears in my previous works, in a sense they “bound” the figures and at the same time, display the limitation of occupiable space or the limitation of their co-dependency. A gloss medium is applied to the negative space inside the geometric shape, further emphasizing the differentiated occupiable space within the metallic boundaries and the background of the painting. The fragmentary pencil images that surround the plural figures come from the same body but remain apart, suggesting an alternative narrative. They provide other possibilities of the subject or perhaps another temporal space that exist parallel to the ink figures, further affirming the corrosion of subjectivity within the subject. Since the image is abstracted and layered, the work relies on the viewer's own "perverted" imagination to create a discourse between the two figures and ultimately allows the viewer to examine their own subjectivity in moments of intimacy. Further development of my work lead me to make cuts and add layers to the painting as an action to reconsider that a painting could exist in multiple dimensional space, straddling between two and three dimensions. In consideration of Luce Irigaray's work, the act of altering the surface breaks the uniformity of the two dimensional surface and allow the transition into a three dimensional surface. It ask the viewer to consider the possibility of a painting acquiring sculptural qualities without crossing the boundary and becoming a sculpture. Assuming the logic of a painting is two dimensional, it is an representation of some image, it is fiction, where as a sculpture that occupy real space require the viewing of the object to be considered in consideration of viewer’s own body, hence sculptures is real. The act of cutting and layering suggest the transitional space from non-physical to physical, and in a sense the space between fiction to non-fiction, the unreal to real. The materiality of the paintings parallel the idea of the figure’s subjectivity, constantly shifting and altering. This allows the material and process of making to add to the self/non-self dialog of the figures.

There is a significant volume of research evidence documenting the sexual problems experienced by women survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA). Accordingly, existing treatment paradigms for sexual problems in this population tend to equate the absence of symptoms with adequate sexual functionality, implying that CSA survivors can aspire to sexual functionality at best. However, this false dichotomy reinforces a medicalized, genital-focused view of women's sexuality, and provides no information about what connotes a positive sexual experience for CSA survivors. The current mixed-methods study is centered on the research question, “how do women survivors of CSA experience 'good sex'?” Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 women who self-identified as CSA survivors and self-reported having experienced good sex. Participants were also asked to complete standardized quantitative measures of women's sexual functioning, sexual satisfaction, and sexual self-schema. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), four themes emerged from the qualitative portion of the study. The women expressed a clear definition of good sex (theme one), identified factors that contributed to their experience of good sex (theme two), conceptualized good sex within a developmental context (theme three), and discussed similarities in the experience of good sex between survivors and non-survivors, though noted that the pathways to this experience were different for survivors (theme four). Participants' scores on the quantitative portion of the study varied widely from each other and were inconsistent across individual scores of sexual functioning and sexual satisfaction. These findings demonstrate that women survivors of CSA can and do experience good sex, and this experience of good sex may not be captured accurately by constructs of sexual functioning, sexual satisfaction, and sexual self-schema as depicted in commonly-used questionnaires. Implications for health practitioners, clinicians and researchers are discussed. / Graduate

SILVA, Renan Saraiva Martins da. Comportamento sexual e materno-filial de ovinos da raça morada nova em diferentes ordens de parição. 2013. 59 f. : Dissertação (Mestrado) - Universidade Federal do Ceará, Centro de Ciências, Departamento de Zootecnia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zootecnia. Fortaleza-CE, 2013. / Submitted by Eric Santiago (erichhcl@gmail.com) on 2016-08-10T15:14:46Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2013_dis_rsmsilva.pdf: 736865 bytes, checksum: a78626a5fdbfbefb470f604a1f49d661 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Nádja Goes (nmoraissoares@gmail.com) on 2016-08-10T15:16:22Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2013_dis_rsmsilva.pdf: 736865 bytes, checksum: a78626a5fdbfbefb470f604a1f49d661 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-10T15:16:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2013_dis_rsmsilva.pdf: 736865 bytes, checksum: a78626a5fdbfbefb470f604a1f49d661 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / The aim of this work is to evaluate and characterize the sexual behavior and maternal behavior of females of Morada Nova sheep breed in Brazilian Northeast. The study of sexual behavior of females was evaluated from the behavior shown by females before the breeding during the breeding season. This study was conducted in two consecutive years, and the male effect was used only in the first year. In the two years 59 females were used, with 20 nulliparous, 20 primiparous and 19 pluriparous. The behaviors studied were sniffed or not sniffed the male, urinated in the presence of male or not urinated in the presence of male, reactivity with male approach with score one, two or three, posture acceptance time to cover. In the second year of the experiment added the behavior of vocalizations. In the first year, nulliparous and primiparous had a higher frequency of the behavior of the sniffed the male compared to pluriparous. The results showed that the second year for all categories was the variable most frequently sniffed the male in relation to non sniffed the male, and vocalization was demonstrated by nulliparous females (8%) and primiparous (3%), but pluriparous not vocalized. In both years the primiparous showed more curiosity and also more time to breeding, thus characterizing particular attention to this category at the time of coverage. In the study of maternal-filial behavior, showed 46 births (16 pluriparous , 17 secundiparous and 13 primiparous), in which they evaluated the following variables: time of parturition, number of offspring, eating placenta, water intake, intake food, vocalizations per minute mothers, latency to make the first care, number of cleanings per minute, latency between birth and raising, latency between birth and breastfeeding, number of feedings creates, number of times that creates urinated and vocalizations of pups. Weighed at birth and at weaning of neonates were also performed. The more experienced females had higher number of fetuses, however, secundiparous had a lower mortality rate of their offspring, generating a greater number of weaned. Maternal care of the neonates at birth positively influence the feeding of colostrum and development of the offspring to weaning. / Objetivou-se avaliar e caracterizar o comportamento sexual e o materno-filial de fêmeas ovinas da raça Morada Nova em diferentes ordens de parição. O comportamento sexual de fêmeas foi avaliado a partir dos comportamentos apresentados pelas fêmeas perante o reprodutor durante a estação de monta. Este estudo foi realizado em dois anos consecutivos, sendo que no primeiro ano foi utilizado o efeito macho e no segundo ano não houve a utilização do efeito macho. Em ambos os anos foram utilizadas 59 fêmeas, sendo, 20 nulíparas, 20 primíparas e 19 pluríparas. Os comportamentos estudados foram: cheirar ou não o macho, urinar ou não na presença do macho, reatividade ao macho com escore um, dois ou três, postura de aceitação, tempo para cobertura. No segundo ano do experimento adicionou-se o comportamento de vocalizações. No primeiro ano, fêmeas nulíparas e primíparas apresentaram maior frequência do comportamento de cheirar o macho em relação às pluríparas. Os resultados do segundo ano mostraram que para todas as ordens de parição houve maior frequência da atitude de cheirar o macho e o ato de vocalizar foi demonstrado por fêmeas nulíparas (8%) e primíparas (3%), já as pluríparas não vocalizaram. Em ambos os anos as fêmeas primíparas apresentaram maior tempo para cobertura, desta forma, caracterizando atenção especial a esta ordem de parição no momento da monta. No estudo do comportamento materno-filial foram acompanhados 46 partos (16 pluríparas, 17 secundíparas e 13 primíparas), nos quais se avaliaram as seguintes variáveis: tempo de parto, número de crias, ingestão de placenta, ingestão de água, ingestão de alimento, vocalizações por minuto das mães, latência para realização dos primeiros cuidados, número de limpezas por minuto, latência entre nascer e levantar, latência entre nascer e mamar, número de mamadas da cria, número de vezes que a cria urinou e vocalizações das crias. Também foram realizadas pesagens ao nascimento e ao desmame das crias. As fêmeas pluríparas e secundíparas apresentaram maior número de conceptos, entretanto, as secundíparas tiveram um menor índice de mortalidade de suas crias, gerando um maior número de desmamados. Os cuidados maternos com as crias no momento do parto influenciam positivamente na mamada do colostro e no desenvolvimento da cria até o desmame.

FundaÃÃo Cearense de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Cientifico e TecnolÃgico / Objetivou-se avaliar e caracterizar o comportamento sexual e o materno-filial de fÃmeas ovinas da raÃa Morada Nova em diferentes ordens de pariÃÃo. O comportamento sexual de fÃmeas foi avaliado a partir dos comportamentos apresentados pelas fÃmeas perante o reprodutor durante a estaÃÃo de monta. Este estudo foi realizado em dois anos consecutivos, sendo que no primeiro ano foi utilizado o efeito macho e no segundo ano nÃo houve a utilizaÃÃo do efeito macho. Em ambos os anos foram utilizadas 59 fÃmeas, sendo, 20 nulÃparas, 20 primÃparas e 19 plurÃparas. Os comportamentos estudados foram: cheirar ou nÃo o macho, urinar ou nÃo na presenÃa do macho, reatividade ao macho com escore um, dois ou trÃs, postura de aceitaÃÃo, tempo para cobertura. No segundo ano do experimento adicionou-se o comportamento de vocalizaÃÃes. No primeiro ano, fÃmeas nulÃparas e primÃparas apresentaram maior frequÃncia do comportamento de cheirar o macho em relaÃÃo Ãs plurÃparas. Os resultados do segundo ano mostraram que para todas as ordens de pariÃÃo houve maior frequÃncia da atitude de cheirar o macho e o ato de vocalizar foi demonstrado por fÃmeas nulÃparas (8%) e primÃparas (3%), jà as plurÃparas nÃo vocalizaram. Em ambos os anos as fÃmeas primÃparas apresentaram maior tempo para cobertura, desta forma, caracterizando atenÃÃo especial a esta ordem de pariÃÃo no momento da monta. No estudo do comportamento materno-filial foram acompanhados 46 partos (16 plurÃparas, 17 secundÃparas e 13 primÃparas), nos quais se avaliaram as seguintes variÃveis: tempo de parto, nÃmero de crias, ingestÃo de placenta, ingestÃo de Ãgua, ingestÃo de alimento, vocalizaÃÃes por minuto das mÃes, latÃncia para realizaÃÃo dos primeiros cuidados, nÃmero de limpezas por minuto, latÃncia entre nascer e levantar, latÃncia entre nascer e mamar, nÃmero de mamadas da cria, nÃmero de vezes que a cria urinou e vocalizaÃÃes das crias. TambÃm foram realizadas pesagens ao nascimento e ao desmame das crias. As fÃmeas plurÃparas e secundÃparas apresentaram maior nÃmero de conceptos, entretanto, as secundÃparas tiveram um menor Ãndice de mortalidade de suas crias, gerando um maior nÃmero de desmamados. Os cuidados maternos com as crias no momento do parto influenciam positivamente na mamada do colostro e no desenvolvimento da cria atà o desmame. / The aim of this work is to evaluate and characterize the sexual behavior and maternal behavior of females of Morada Nova sheep breed in Brazilian Northeast. The study of sexual behavior of females was evaluated from the behavior shown by females before the breeding during the breeding season. This study was conducted in two consecutive years, and the male effect was used only in the first year. In the two years 59 females were used, with 20 nulliparous, 20 primiparous and 19 pluriparous. The behaviors studied were sniffed or not sniffed the male, urinated in the presence of male or not urinated in the presence of male, reactivity with male approach with score one, two or three, posture acceptance time to cover. In the second year of the experiment added the behavior of vocalizations. In the first year, nulliparous and primiparous had a higher frequency of the behavior of the sniffed the male compared to pluriparous. The results showed that the second year for all categories was the variable most frequently sniffed the male in relation to non sniffed the male, and vocalization was demonstrated by nulliparous females (8%) and primiparous (3%), but pluriparous not vocalized. In both years the primiparous showed more curiosity and also more time to breeding, thus characterizing particular attention to this category at the time of coverage. In the study of maternal-filial behavior, showed 46 births (16 pluriparous , 17 secundiparous and 13 primiparous), in which they evaluated the following variables: time of parturition, number of offspring, eating placenta, water intake, intake food, vocalizations per minute mothers, latency to make the first care, number of cleanings per minute, latency between birth and raising, latency between birth and breastfeeding, number of feedings creates, number of times that creates urinated and vocalizations of pups. Weighed at birth and at weaning of neonates were also performed. The more experienced females had higher number of fetuses, however, secundiparous had a lower mortality rate of their offspring, generating a greater number of weaned. Maternal care of the neonates at birth positively influence the feeding of colostrum and development of the offspring to weaning.

Sexual health is related to sexual experience and the accurate understanding of HIV and STIs modes of transmission, symptoms, and prevention. An examination of the influence of sociocultural factors provides a greater understanding of the determinants of sexual health given that sexual conduct is socially and culturally constructed. Consequently, this study sought to examine the influence of acculturation as it related to identity, behaviours and values, and the effects of religiosity and perceived discrimination in Haitian-Canadian, Franco-Ontarian and Anglo-Canadian emerging adults on their level of sexual experience and knowledge of HIV and STIs. The results indicated that Haitian-Canadians were the least sexually experienced group. Haitian-Canadian women in particular, were less experienced than Franco-Ontarian and Anglo-Canadian young women. The three groups did not differ in their level of knowledge regarding HIV. Yet, Anglo-Canadians were the most knowledgeable regarding STIs, followed by Franco-Ontarians. The level of religiosity experienced by participants was the only significant predictor related to sexual experience for all three groups. More religiosity predicted less sexual experience. Furthermore, greater religiosity also predicted less knowledge of HIV for Franco-Ontarians. These findings suggest that more specific measures regarding sexual norms and values should be used to examine sexual acculturation.

The aim of the present thesis is to find deeper knowledge about women’s experiences of sexuality, desire and pleasure during childbirth. In this thesis there are statements of women’s different kinds of pleasurable and sexual feelings and experiences during birth. Furthermore, factors that may influence some women’s feelings and experiences of a sexual kind are discussed in relation to the common notion that women above all feel fear and pain when giving birth. The thesis is based on ten unstructured interviews with women who have all given birth, most of them recently and in some cases more than ten years ago. The women had all stated before the interview that they had had some kind of pleasurable and/or sexual experiences during or in connection with their childbirth.Result: Almost all of the women who were interviewed had, before giving birth, been unaware about the possibility of lustful and sexual dimensions during labour. There was one statement of experiences not being pleasurable at all during the actual birth but this woman mentioned pleasurable sensations after the baby was born. Some of the women experienced pleasurable and lustful sensations during contractions while others experienced orgasm or preorgasmic sensations during the last part of the pushing stage. There were informants who experienced feelings of desire and/or orgasmic sensations in spite of having epidural analgesia. The women who had experiences of desirable and sexual sensations all stated that these were exclusively personal with no participation from their partners. Nearly all of the participating women had kept these desirable and sexual experiences to themselves and not mentioned them to their partners or anyone else. An important finding was that feelings of shame and different kinds of taboos were the women’s main explanations for not talking about it. Discussion: The scientific literature in this field suggests the possibility of talking about four different discourses about birth. In this thesis the first is called “medical discourse”, with pain/painreleif, monitoring/security, riskthinking and technical development. The second one is named “discourse of ’naturalness’ ”, with influences of earthpower, “naturalness”, sexuality and awareness of the body. The third one is called “religious discourses”, with influences from the madonna myth, shame and taboos. The fourth discourse is called “feminist discourses” where rights, independent choices and sexuality are constituents. The findings suggests that these discourses influence each person`s experience while giving birth. The findings also suggest that, in accordance with the Sexual Script Theory, the influences can be seen on an inter-personal level, in an intra-personal level as well as on a cultural level.Conclusion: The Sexual Script Theory might be applicable as a way to understand women's experiences of sexuality while giving birth.

This study investigated the relationship between religiosity of female college students and sexual victimization experiences. These experiences include the reporting behaviors that take place subsequent to an act of sexual victimization. The study utilized secondary data gathered from the forth wave of a longitudinal study funded by the National Institute of Justice between 1990 and 1995. The study used multidimensional levels of religiosity to analyze and to assess its impact on the sexual victimization experiences. Findings ascertained that certain behavioral measures of religiosity were consistently found to be a protective factor against sexual victimization. On the other hand, subjective measures of religiosity were not found to be a protective measure for victimization. Instead, this measure was statistically determined to be related to experiencing acts of sexual victimization. Recommendations were given for a greater focus on campus resources pertaining to student victimization and more in-depth research on the role churches have in dealing with this issue.

Bakgrund:Spiral är en högeffektiv preventivmedelsmetod och har tidigare enbart rekommenderats till kvinnor som fött barn. Dessa riktlinjer har förändrats och spiral är ett förstahandsalternativ till unga kvinnor. Barnmorskor ger trots det varierande information kring spiral till unga kvinnor. Syfte: Att belysa barnmorskors uppfattning av spiral som preventivmedelsmetod till unga kvinnor.Metod:Fenomenografisk forskningsmetod med induktiv ansats användes i studien. Sju barnmorskor intervjuades med semistrukturerade frågor i Västra Götaland.Resultat: Resultatet presenteras i tre beskrivningskategorier och fem uppfattningar: rätt information är av betydelse; unga kvinnors sexuella erfarenhet är av betydelse; Omgivningens kunskap varierar.Konklusion:Resultatet visar att individanpassad information är av stor vikt och att unga kvinnor ska få möjlighet till ett informerat val. Barnmorskor uppfattar att spiral är en effektiv preventivmedelsmetod till unga kvinnor som har debuterat sexuellt. Till de kvinnor som inte haft penetrerande samlag, rekommenderas en annan preventivmedelsmetod. Hur information om spiral ges är viktigt för följsamheten i användningen. De unga kvinnorna bör ha en realistisk bild av spiral och det är betydelsefullt att barnmorskor informerar om både för- och nackdelar. Genom att barnmorskorna är uppdaterade och inhämtar ny forskning kan rätt kunskap kring spiral förmedlas. / Background: Intrauterine device is an effective contraceptive method and was earlier only recommended for women who have had given birth. These guidelines have changed, and intrauterine device is a first choice for young women. Still midwives give various information about intrauterine device to young women.   Purpose: To illustrate midwives’ perceptions of intrauterine device to young women.Method: Phenomenographical research with an inductive approach was used in the study. 7 midwives were interviewed with semi-structured questions in western Sweden. Result: The midwives’ perceptions of intrauterine device as a contraceptive method to young women are presented in three descriptive categories and five perceptions: Rightinformation is of meaning; Young women’s sexual experience are of relevance; The environment’s knowledge varies.Conclusion: Midwives perception is that intrauterine deviceis an effective contraceptive method for young women who have had their sexual debut. For the young women who haven’t lost their virginity other contraceptive methods are preferred. How the information about intrauterine device is given is important for adherence among young women. The young women should have a realistic imageof the intrauterine device and there for it’s important that the midwives provide both advantages and disadvantages when they give information.If Midwives are updated and stays ahead with research they can provide a better knowledge of the intrauterine device.

The problem of the youth’s sexual behaviour is one of the most serious problems. The following juvenile problems have lately become especially urgent: early sexual relationships, pregnancy, abortion, diseases that are spread through sexual intercourse. Thus it is not surprising that the problem of juvenile sexual behaviour receives so much attention in pedagogy. In most cases love is understood as physical satisfaction. It is compared to sex. The true secret of sexual life is not realized properly. The problems of irresponsible sexual behaviour cause a number of other problems that have a negative impact on the future of adolescents. On the basis of the research results it is possible to draw the conclusion that the problem of early sexual experience in Lithuania is becoming more and more urgent. The number of teenagers who have had early sexual experience is increasing. It has been noticed that over a half of pupils who took part in the survey have had sexual relationships. According to the research data, the majority of sexually active adolescents acquired their first sexual experience at the age of 16-17. Most male adolescents have begun their sexual life at the age of 16 and the majority of female adolescents – at the age of 17. Thus, the hypothesis of the research that male adolescents start their sexual life earlier than female ones has been confirmed.

This study explores the function of female simulated orgasm in long-term relationships, and its significance for the individual’s perception of their own body and sexuality. Through a series of semi-structured interviews with subjects that have experiences with simulated orgasm, the study utilizes scripting theory to analyze and explain the meaning of the simulated orgasm. Four central themes in the narratives are identified: The demand for orgasm, the mutually rewarding orgasm, the orgasm as strategy, and the ethics of orgasm. The study concludes that several scripts are involved in the decision to simulate one’s own orgasm. Significantly, the study identifies that in some cases simulated orgasms can lead to the experience of a pseudo-orgasm – a state that is neither simulated nor authentic orgasm.