Introduction:
Sexual behaviors mean activities that lead to sexual arousal; between two individuals, in a group, or can be practiced alone. The sexual activity of an individual majorly depends upon two factors. First is the acquired sexual response patterns present by birth or genetically inherited that develop gradually to fulfill the purpose of reproduction. Another is the extent and the types of influences exercised upon a person by the surrounding people or society as a way to express their sexuality. However, some people rarely get involved in particular or any sexual behavior at all. They are said to be in celibacy or abstinence.
Almost all kinds of sexual behaviors can be considered label-deviant, meaning a particular behavior may not be familiar in a certain community or society. However, they should not be judged morally as people of different places or communities vary in their sexual practices, so what is atypical in one society may be normal for another.
What Are the Types of Sexual Behaviors?
According to the type of activity that sexual behavior includes, they can be classified as intercourse sexual behaviors and non-intercourse sexual behaviors. Penetrative sexual behaviors carry the risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases or infections (STDs or STIs). Non-intercourse sexual behaviors are practiced to maintain virginity and as a means of birth control. They can be further divided as per the number and gender of the participants involved, as solitary behaviors and sociosexual behaviors that may include one or more persons. Sociosexual behavior is generally sorted into heterosexual behavior (with the opposite gender) and homosexual behavior (with the same gender). If more than two individuals are a part of a behavior, then it can be a heterosexual and homosexual activity simultaneously.
What Are Non-intercourse Sexual Behaviors?
Non-intercourse sexual behavior lists a group of sexual behaviors that are devoid of penetration into any organ or part of the human body. Such behaviors may include aspects of penetration but not actual penetration, like fingering. Instead, other forms of sexual or asexual activities are performed, like cuddling, kissing, mutual masturbation, etc.
Solitary Behaviors:
Among solitary sexual behaviors, self-masturbation is the most familiar. It involves stimulating oneself to cause sexual arousal and orgasm (the climax of sexual excitement). Usually, it is practiced in private and does not lead to further activities, but sometimes, it is done to expedite a sociosexual relationship.
Generally, people start masturbating at or near puberty. Masturbation is a repeated behavior mainly seen in unmarried, common among men, particularly young males. However, its frequency decreases or is completely stopped on the availability of the sociosexual activity. Females rarely masturbate and discontinue this practice upon engaging in sociosexual relationships. Its frequency varies from one person to another, so it is impossible to declare its normal range.
Sleep orgasm is seen only in humans. However, its causes are unknown. It was believed that it occurs due to the exertion of pressure from collected semen which could not be ejaculated. But, this idea was later discarded because it is not only men who experience nocturnal emissions but females also undergo orgasms during sleep. Sometimes, sleep orgasms happen as a compensatory phenomenon when the individuals abstain from other sexual activities. On the other hand, it may also be felt due to external stimuli, like sleeping in a prone position or clothes being stuck between an individual’s legs. It is the erotic dreams that generally accompany sleep orgasms.
Sleep orgasm is seen in most males, which begins and frequently occurs during adolescence and tends to discontinue later. On the contrary, fewer females feel orgasm during sleep but usually when they are full adults. Overall, sleep orgasm is experienced infrequently, rarely, occurring up to a dozen times for men and three to four times for females annually.
Sociosexual Behaviors:
Heterosexual activity is the most common of all sociosexual activities, which occurs between one male and one female. It often starts in late childhood as showing or examining genital organs or engaging in sex play. Sex play involves erotic caressing, which usually leads to sexual intercourse. With the advent of adolescence, dating supersedes sex play and generally involves physical touch leading to sexual arousal. This type of contact is called necking or petting.
Petting differs from hugging, kissing, a generalized touch of the clothed body, and genital stimulation techniques. Petting is usually done to express affection and pleasure and routinely precedes coitus. The last part of petting is called foreplay. In rare cases, petting causes orgasm and can even substitute coitus.
Frottage is also known as dry sex, as it involves the act of rubbing each other’s body parts like buttocks and breasts, particularly nipples (for females), thighs, genitalia, etc. It can be performed even with clothes on.
Some other types of non-intercourse sociosexual behaviors can be:
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Sharing a Sensual Massage: This could be done with or without clothes with soft music, candles, lotion, or oils. Certain body areas are massaged with specific levels of pressure and frequency.
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Mutual Masturbation: It involves masturbating each other’s genitalia by giving handjobs to males and fingering to females to cause sexual arousal or simply a feeling of pleasure with a gentle touch. Rarely feet can also be used for mutual masturbation.
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A Mutual Bath or a Shower: It is a caressing act that creates awareness about one’s partner’s body while enjoying a daily chore.
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Phone or Facetime Sex: With the advancement in technology, this is another kind of sexual behavior that is usually practiced between long-distance partners. But, it demands a lot of care with sharing or mishandling the recordings, if any.
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Kissing the Entire Body: Kissing is not just confined to lips. Instead, the belly, arms, and legs can be included and normalized. French kissing is another form of intense kissing which causes genital organ stimulation.
Conclusion:
Non-intercourse sexual behaviors are another healthy, affectionate, and acceptable means of showering love and attraction toward one’s partner. They are simple and have the advantage of avoiding pregnancy. They can be routinely performed according to the needs and desires of the self and the partner.
