Human Sexuality

In the book Problem In Aplied Ethics published by Malta University Publishers a series edited by Joe Friggieri writen by Emanuel Agius a Maltese philosopher he writes Sigmund Freud proved that sexuality plays a crucial role in the fuctioning of the personality as a whole; it is wrong to think sexual instict as an isolated fuction. Therefore sex came to be seen as a force that permeates, influences and affects every act of a person’s being at every moment of his or her existance. It is not operative in one restricted area of life but it is rather at the core and centre of our total life response. It is from sex that the human person recieves the characteristics which, on the biological, psychological and spiritual level, make that person a man or a woman, and therby largely condition his or her progress towards maturity and insertion into society.

Therefore human sexuality is basically a Language. Human sexuality is both physiological and psychological grounded to our capacity to love not neccesarily involved genitally.

He continues to write that human sexuality is a medium of communication. In order to understand ethically the phenomena of human sexuality we must first go beyond its merely unitive and procreative meaning and it goes merely beyond fuctionality. The human species is sometimes called homo symbolicus a term which conveys the insight that people are symbol makers and symbol users, able to express themselves through symbolic meaning. I add Sex can therefore have many meaning associated with that person and group. But he continues to write that Sexual intercourse is the maximum expression of the body language of love. It is not just a meeting of genitalia but of a person with a past and the future. When person meet in such intimacy they give message to each other. The body language is rich in meaning and the challenge is to decode it message. What are husband and wife saying? This language speaks five messages: recognition, gender identification, reconciliation, hope and thanksgiving. In every sexual act the whole person, body, mind and feeling is engaged. The meaning of sexual intercourse is therefore multifaceted, exercising a number of roles and carrying a much larger number of meanings than the unitive and the procreative. It is the way how two people thank each other for the gifts of mutual love, respect, faithfulness and service while its the language of hope. This is because the intense pleasure and closeness of intercourse renew regulary the basis of the relationship with or without words the couple express to each other their hope to remain together in love until the end of their life while affirming most clearly each other’s specific sexual identity. When the couple freely donate themselves in sexual intercourse in the absence of fear or coercion their action fully exemplifies mutual equality and acceptance.

In the end sexuality is according to Emanuel Agius;

·         Self-liberating: human sexuality flows freely and spontaneously from the depts of a person’s being. It is neither fearful nor anxious but rather genuinely expressive of one’s authentic self. It begets self-assurance, thereby enhacing the full development of a person’s potential for growth and self expression.

·         Other-enriching: human sexuality gives expresssion to a generous interest and concern for the well-being of the other. It is sensative, considerate, thoughtful, compassionate, understanding and supportive. These qualities call for more than mere non manipulation or other against their will. It insist that wholesome sexulity must contribute positively to the growth process of the other.

·         Honesty: human sexuality express openly and candidly and as truthful as possible the depth of relationship that exist between people. It avoids deception in every form of betrayal of the mutual trust that any sexual expression should imply if it is truly creative and integrative.

·         Faithful: human sexuality is characterised by a constant pattern of interest and concern that can grow ever deeper and richer.

·         Life-serving: Every expression of human sexuality must respect the intimate relationship between the “creative” and “integrative” aspects. And every life-style provides means for giving expression to this life-serving quality.

·         Joyous: Wholesome sexual expression should give witness to the mystery of love. It must never become a mere passive submission to duty or a heartless comformity to expextation. Human sexual expression is meant to be enjoyed without feeling of guilt or remorse.

Also love is an important factor in physical and emotional intimate relationships. Love is qualitatively and quantitatively different to liking, and the difference is not merely in the presence or absence of sexual attraction. There are two types of love in a relationship; passionate love and companionate love. Companionate love involves diminished potent feelings of attachment, an authentic and enduring bond, a sense of mutual commitment, the profound feeling of mutual caring, feeling proud of a mate's accomplishment, and the satisfaction that comes from sharing goals and perspective. In contrast, passionate love is marked by infatuation, intense preoccupation with the partner, throes of ecstasy, and feelings of exhilaration that come from being reunited with the partner Hatfield, E., & Rapson, R.L. (1993). Historical and cross-cultural perspectives on passionate love and sexual desire. Annual Review of Sex Research, 4, 67–97. Acording to the The triangular theory of love is a theory of love developed by psychologist Robert Sternberg. In the context of interpersonal relationships, "the three components of love, according to the triangular theory, are;

1. Intimacy – Which encompasses feelings of attachment, closeness, connectedness, and bondedness.
2. Passion – Which encompasses drives connected to both limerence and sexual attraction.
3. Descison/Commitment – Which encompasses, in the short term, the decision to remain with another, and in the long term, the shared achievements and plans made with that other.

Agape: In the New Testament is charitable, selfless, altruistic, and unconditional. It is parental love, seen as creating goodness in the world; it is the way God is seen to love humanity, and it is seen as the kind of love that Christians aspire to have for one another in God presence.