OC ACXLW Meetup: Understanding Arousal - Chapters 3 and 4 Pragmatists Guide to sexuality - July 27, 2024

OC ACXLW Meetup: Understanding Arousal - Chapters 3 and 4 Pragmatists Guide to sexuality - July 27, 2024

Date: Saturday, July 27, 2024
Time: 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Location: 1970 Port Laurent Place, Newport Beach, 92660
Host: Michael Michalchik
Email: michaelmichalchik@gmail.com

Hello Enthusiasts,

Join us for our 69th OC ACXLW meetup, Part 2, where we'll continue exploring human sexuality by delving into Chapters 3 and 4 of "The Pragmatist's Guide to Sexuality." Our discussion will focus on understanding the factors that cause arousal and debunking common myths about what does not cause arousal.

Discussion Topics:

Chapter 3: Things That Cause Arousal

Chapter Three examines various factors that trigger arousal, breaking them into distinct categories and exploring each in detail. The chapter challenges traditional models of sexual orientation, proposing a more nuanced understanding of human arousal patterns.

1. Breeding Targets:
   • Primary and Secondary Sex Characteristics: Arousal is linked to characteristics indicating fertility and sexual differentiation, such as body parts and movements.
   • Arousal Indicators: Traits like musculature, broad shoulders, and deep voices in males, and breasts, hips, and certain body movements in females.
   • Sexuality Models: Traditional models like the Kinsey scale are critiqued, proposing that attraction can be to specific traits rather than a spectrum from straight to gay.
2. Inverse Systems:
   • Atypical Arousal: Arousal from stimuli generally found disgusting by others, such as fetishes involving bodily functions or insects.
   • Early Onset: These patterns often appear early in life and are not learned through socialization.
   • Gender Differences: More prevalent in males, possibly due to different evolutionary pressures.
3. Emotional States and Concepts:
   • Dominance and Submission: Significant portion of human arousal is linked to feelings of dominance and submission.
   • Conceptual Arousal: Emotions like betrayal, transformation, and being eaten can trigger arousal, as can power dynamics.
   • Neural Crosstalk: Crosstalk in the brain between areas responsible for social behavior and arousal might explain these patterns.
4. Emotional Connections to People:
   • Emotional Lowering Threshold: Emotional connections lower the threshold for arousal, making familiar and loved individuals more sexually appealing.
5. Trope Attraction:
   • Role-Playing and Stereotypes: Certain stereotypes or roles (nurse, goth, cheerleader) can enhance arousal due to their adherence to specific tropes.
6. Novelty:
   • New Experiences: New and unique stimuli can be more arousing due to their novelty.
7. Pain and Asphyxiation:
   • Pain and Pleasure: Some arousal patterns are enhanced by pain or oxygen deprivation.
8. Basic Instincts:
   • Autopilot Behaviors: Some mating behaviors are driven by deeper neurological systems that do not always generate traditional feelings of arousal.
9. Physical Stimuli:
   • Direct Physical Interaction: Physical actions like kissing or touching erogenous zones directly trigger arousal.
10. Conditioned Responses:
    • Learned Arousal: Some arousal patterns result from conditioning, such as fetishes for inanimate objects.

Chapter 4: Things That Do Not Cause Arousal

Chapter Four delves into common misconceptions about what causes arousal, debunking myths and clarifying what does not influence sexual arousal patterns.

1. Limited Impact of Socialization:
   • The chapter argues against the pervasive belief that socialization significantly shapes sexual preferences.
   • Evidence shows that societal ideals promoting thinness do not change underlying arousal patterns.
2. Body Weight Preferences:
   • Despite societal ideals promoting thinness, studies show men generally prefer women of healthy weights.
3. Cultural Myths:
   • Historical examples like the art of Peter Paul Rubens suggest personal preferences rather than societal standards.
4. Parental Influence and Childhood:
   • The study finds no significant correlation between childhood conditions and adult arousal patterns.
   • The myth of the "childhood abuse cycle" is debunked; most abusers were not abused as children, and most abused children do not become abusers.
5. Social Taboos and Rule Breaking:
   • The notion that breaking social taboos inherently causes arousal is challenged.
   • Kinks are often socially taboo, but this is because they are defined by their taboo nature.
6. Intelligence and Sapiosexuality:
   • Attraction to intelligence (sapiosexuality) might be influenced by socialization.
   • Intelligence is processed in higher-order brain functions, suggesting it may not be an innate arousal trigger but rather a socially informed one.

Summaries:

Chapter 3 Summary:

Chapter Three of "The Pragmatist's Guide to Sexuality" examines various factors that trigger arousal, breaking them into distinct categories and exploring each in detail. The chapter challenges traditional models of sexual orientation, proposing a more nuanced understanding of human arousal patterns.

1. Breeding Targets:
   • Primary and Secondary Sex Characteristics: Arousal is linked to characteristics indicating fertility and sexual differentiation, such as body parts and movements.
   • Arousal Indicators: Traits like musculature, broad shoulders, and deep voices in males, and breasts, hips, and certain body movements in females.
   • Sexuality Models: Traditional models like the Kinsey scale are critiqued, proposing that attraction can be to specific traits rather than a spectrum from straight to gay.
2. Inverse Systems:
   • Atypical Arousal: Arousal from stimuli generally found disgusting by others, such as fetishes involving bodily functions or insects.
   • Early Onset: These patterns often appear early in life and are not learned through socialization.
   • Gender Differences: More prevalent in males, possibly due to different evolutionary pressures.
3. Emotional States and Concepts:
   • Dominance and Submission: Significant portion of human arousal is linked to feelings of dominance and submission.
   • Conceptual Arousal: Emotions like betrayal, transformation, and being eaten can trigger arousal, as can power dynamics.
   • Neural Crosstalk: Crosstalk in the brain between areas responsible for social behavior and arousal might explain these patterns.
4. Emotional Connections to People:
   • Emotional Lowering Threshold: Emotional connections lower the threshold for arousal, making familiar and loved individuals more sexually appealing.
5. Trope Attraction:
   • Role-Playing and Stereotypes: Certain stereotypes or roles (nurse, goth, cheerleader) can enhance arousal due to their adherence to specific tropes.
6. Novelty:
   • New Experiences: New and unique stimuli can be more arousing due to their novelty.
7. Pain and Asphyxiation:
   • Pain and Pleasure: Some arousal patterns are enhanced by pain or oxygen deprivation.
8. Basic Instincts:
   • Autopilot Behaviors: Some mating behaviors are driven by deeper neurological systems that do not always generate traditional feelings of arousal.
9. Physical Stimuli:
   • Direct Physical Interaction: Physical actions like kissing or touching erogenous zones directly trigger arousal.
10. Conditioned Responses:
    • Learned Arousal: Some arousal patterns result from conditioning, such as fetishes for inanimate objects.

Chapter 4 Summary:

Chapter Four delves into common misconceptions about what causes arousal, debunking myths and clarifying what does not influence sexual arousal patterns.

1. Limited Impact of Socialization:
   • The chapter argues against the pervasive belief that socialization significantly shapes sexual preferences.
   • Evidence shows that societal ideals promoting thinness do not change underlying arousal patterns.
2. Body Weight Preferences:
   • Despite societal ideals promoting thinness, studies show men generally prefer women of healthy weights.
3. Cultural Myths:
   • Historical examples like the art of Peter Paul Rubens suggest personal preferences rather than societal standards.
4. Parental Influence and Childhood:
   • The study finds no significant correlation between childhood conditions and adult arousal patterns.
   • The myth of the "childhood abuse cycle" is debunked; most abusers were not abused as children, and most abused children do not become abusers.
5. Social Taboos and Rule Breaking:
   • The notion that breaking social taboos inherently causes arousal is challenged.
   • Kinks are often socially taboo, but this is because they are defined by their taboo nature.
6. Intelligence and Sapiosexuality:
   • Attraction to intelligence (sapiosexuality) might be influenced by socialization.
   • Intelligence is processed in higher-order brain functions, suggesting it may not be an innate arousal trigger but rather a socially informed one.

Questions for Discussion:

• How do the ten distinct systems described in Chapter 3 contribute to a comprehensive understanding of human arousal?
• What are the key misconceptions about arousal debunked in Chapter 4, and what evidence supports these clarifications?
• How can the insights from these chapters be applied in educational, clinical, and personal contexts?

We look forward to seeing you all and engaging in a stimulating discussion. For any questions, please contact Michael Michalchik at michaelmichalchik@gmail.com.

Links:

• Chapter 3: Google Doc
  • URL: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GxUYb9SLfBsxfGUOUJfpuR7R6c3BXD2zXWiu6pRRXCc/edit?usp=sharing
• Chapter 4: Google Doc
  • URL: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1er0lDZzdYNC8FkPfthg--iojTUxUi56NEWF1zgfMWQs/edit?usp=sharing