Context for Understanding the 10 Sexual Health Learnings
Saturday, January 17th, 2009Context for Understanding the 10 Sexual Health Learnings
To cultivate the 10 learnings for sexual health, you’ll need some context because the learnings involve knowing how to organize your thinking (cognitions), understand your feelings (emotions), and wisely manage your actions (behaviors). Th is will enable you to understand what we mean by integrating your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors for sexual health. Th e cognitive–behavioral–emotional (CBE) model is a way to organize these dimensions and learn male sexual health.
Th ese dimensions interact almost automatically—thoughts infl uencing feelings, feelings infl uencing behaviors, and behaviors prompting thoughts and feelings. In the integrative CBE model, each component is valued and promotes sexual health. Without appreciating that thoughts, feelings, and behaviors interact, yet are distinct, our experience of sex can be confusing and confl icted. Your insight will be strengthened by understanding the integrated role of cognitions, behaviors, and emotions in sexual health. Cognitions or Thoughts Cognitions involve ideas, beliefs, observations, interpretations, and reasoning. Epstein and Baucom (2002) describe fi ve distinct cognitions that aff ect your sexuality: assumptions, standards and beliefs, perceptions, attributions (explanations of cause and eff ect), and expectancies (predictions). Th ese are unique to each man. Cognitions are benefi cial or detrimental depending on their eff ects on your feelings and actions. Our cognitions are the way we think about sex, our self-talk. When it comes to sex, we want to think accurately, positively, reasonably. When we don’t, we set ourselves up for unrealistic expectations and frustration. Be aware; be deliberate. Think smart.










