Autobiography of Your Development as a Sexual Being

You are essentially answering the question (prompt) of “How did I become the sexual being I am today?” There are many ways to approach doing this paper, so a few important things to emphasize:

• Only write about what is comfortable for you.
• Sexual experience or being sexually active is not needed to write this paper.
• Respect the privacy / confidentiality of others in the paper by changing identifying information.

When thinking about the page limit, most students can’t imagine at first how they could possibly have that much to discuss, but end up having a hard time stopping!!

So try to keep focused on areas that are more important for you to thoughtfully explore in this paper about how you developed your sexual self.

In this paper, you should attempt to answer the question/prompt stated above by considering how your own development occurred as it relates to the developmental issues discussed in class. Think about what/who has influenced your knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, values, and behavior regarding sexuality and intimate relationships. Consider influences such as parents (or parental figures), religion, culture, media, peers, and/or experiences and how these affected the specific aspect of your sexuality that you are exploring.

The key point is that you are doing an analysis of how your development as a sexual being progressed. You can explore the table of contents in your textbook for ideas regarding the different aspects of sexuality, as well as other suggestions discussed further down in this assignment.

You may structure your autobiography any way you wish. Below are three possible suggestions for structure:

Chronological -- Important life events and experiences are related in chronological order and their significance to your sexual development is discussed for each event/experience. The focus should not be on the events themselves, but on how these experiences have influenced the development of your sexuality. So keep the description of the events brief and analyze the impact of the events more.

Categorical -- Your paper may be organized around one or more themes, or aspects, of your development. Some examples of developmental “themes” might be body image, self-esteem, sexual orientation, gender identity or some significant aspect of your personality (e.g. sense of adventure, shyness, fear of intimacy). These themes may also explore the major influences on your sexual literacy growing up. For each theme (if more than one), discuss how the significant life events or experiences have contributed to your development in that area.

Major event -- Sometimes a single event, experience, or relationship especially early or later in life can profoundly influence one’s sexual development.        You may choose to discuss a major event or relationship, illustrating how it has all influenced major facets of your sexuality (e.g., your self-esteem, communication skills, attitudes toward relationships, family values, etc.).

Your sexual autobiography will be graded according to the quality and depth of thought that is evident in your writing, and the way in which you demonstrate your understanding of the course material in a creative, developmental way. You want to avoid using in your “I don’t know”, “I can’t explain”, I don’t understand” etc. and when faced with these, stop and think about why you have these thoughts. This reflection is key for the paper and should demonstrate clear effort in identifying and/or understanding what those influences might be.

The experience of writing the sexual autobiography has been variously described by students as fun, difficult, amusing, challenging, painful, and enlightening, but always an exercise in personal growth. A final paragraph reflecting on your own feelings about what you’ve written makes a good conclusion to your paper

Whatever approach you take or topic to focus on, be sure to tie your paper back to the prompt: “How did I become the sexual person or being I am today?”

SOME QUESTIONS TO HELP WITH IDEAS ABOUT AND WRITING YOUR PAPER: · How do your current sexual attitudes and beliefs compare to those of your parents?

• How are your current sexual attitudes different today compared to three to five years ago? ·        How does religious/spiritual values affect your sexual values and decision making?
• Do your sexual values/attitudes and choices reflect the culture (specify) in which you were raised?

• Do you get conflicting messages as an immigrant in American culture? Which culture seems to influence you more? Why?

• What influences whom you are attracted to?

• In your opinion, what is the importance of sex in an intimate relationship? What are your personal expectations for a love relationship? Why do you have these expectations?

• What do you feel are society’s expectations of you as a male/female or other gender identity? How early did you start to become aware of these expectations?

• How easy or comfortable was communication about sex within your family? What messages did you get about love and sex by observing your parents’ relationship while you were growing up? How has your parents as role models affected your romantic relationships?

• What was/were your primary source(s) of learning about sex and sexuality while you were growing up? How sexually literate was/were these source(s)?

• How did you feel about your body’s changes at puberty?

• What did your first significant romantic and/or sexual experience (not necessarily intercourse) teach you about yourself?

• If you have children or plan to have children, what would you like to teach them about sexuality?

Final Comment: Having taken this course as an undergraduate myself, and completing a similar assignment, without a doubt I know that if you make a concerted effort on your paper, you will find it to be one of the most illuminating experiences of your life