Sexual Meaning
Changes in the youth’s physical and cognitive development influence their relations with family and friends. According to (Carroll 2018), a youth focus usually shifts during puberty to social interactions and friendships, and they include; boy/girl groups of friends, same-sex friends. Moreover, sexual maturity generally triggers interest more so in dating and sexual relationships. During this period, youths tend to change in peer relationships, male-female relationships, and family relationships (Carroll, 2018). These changes tend to influence their independence, self-esteem, identity, and feeling of self-importance.
According to (Carroll, 2018), “an intimate relationship is an interpersonal relationship that involves physical or emotional attachment and is commonly a sexual relationship.” The emotional relationship involves the feeling of liking or loving. Physical intimacy tends to be romantic love, sexual activity, and plays a vital role in the human experience (Carroll, 2018). Humans desire to belong and be loved, which is usually satisfied within an intimate relationship.
Personal identity forms after a person become an adult and identify with a social role which they consequently perceive as defining them (Carroll, 2018). An intimate relationship is generally dependent on how individuals grapple with the primary development task of adolescent, which is a personal identity (Carroll, 2018). Therefore, as a result of this, personal identity can impact forming of intimate relationship
According to (Carroll, 2018), “sexual meanings are attributed by particular cultural social and historical factors which are associated with being a male or a female.” These attributes shape the values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors of individuals when it comes to an intimate relationship. Hence, sexual meaning impacts the age of consent in an intimate relationship, social background, and religious affiliations.
We can change our sexual meanings in as much as they are attributed to particular cultural, social, and historical factors. These attributes can be changed, but rather one’s behavior can differ since being female or male in a society influence when it comes to gender roles (Carroll, 2018). Moreover, most societies contribute to maintaining these sexual meanings. Thus, one’s sexual identity generally depends on how an individual grapple with the primary developments in adolescent