Human Sexuality Interview

Instructions: Basic Format Guidelines for either Interview option: (See samples in Courses)

• Be sure to clearly identify which interview option you selected on your title page (See Section 2.3 of the APA Publication Manual, 7th Edition for title page requirements here.

• Paginate your paper, but avoid using a running head per latest APA guidelines for student papers.

• Other APA style requirements include:

a) Times New Roman 12-point font

b) 1-inch margins on all sides (top, bottom, left, right)

c) Strict double spacing of the entire paper — do NOT quadruple or triple space between paragraphs or sections

b) APA style exception: If you wish, you may write in first person.

c) Do not include a reference page for this paper since you were not asked to consult a reference.

• Your paper must be five FULL content pages, and NOT exceed six content pages. Do not count the title page. Use the basic format guidelines for your write-up provided in the box above Option A (See SAMPLE in Courses). Take a brief face-to-face sex history of an individual (NOT a fellow student and not the same person as a fellow student), using the questions below. Do your best to set the individual at ease before asking the suggested questions. Let your interviewee know that they can pass on any question deemed too uncomfortable. After your interview, answer the following five questions ONLY. For each of these five questions that you answer, first type the number and the first line ONLY of the question. Use ellipses (…) as needed.

1. Provide the first name only of your
interviewee and demographic particulars (age, ethnicity, relationship/marital status, and heterosexual or LGBTQ+ status, etc.) about the person. Also indicate why you selected the interviewee and what you did to put that person at ease.

2. Provide the answers of the interviewee to the questions you asked that most surprised you or intrigued you, and why. Consider what assumptions you made that left you surprised/intrigued and what lessons you have learned from the interviewee’s answer(s). Give thoughtful, not superficial, responses. Avoid judgmental comments or excessive analyzing or pathologizing.

3. Which questions evoked the most discomfort or countertransference for you? Please elaborate and indicate what you think you could do to reduce your discomfort/countertransference and/or make productive use of it in therapy.

4. Which questions seemed to be the most uncomfortable for the individual to
answer? Please elaborate. Again, avoid judgmental comments or excessive analyzing or pathologizing. 5. What information do you wish you had regarding this individual that the questions asked, and interviewing process did not reveal, and how would this information influence you in a therapeutic context? The following are some sex history questions you could ask. Remember that your task is not to enumerate the individual’s answers to each of the questions listed below. Instead, after your interview, restrict your paper to answering only the five questions posed above.

• How did you first learn about sex? (Peers, Siblings, Parents, School, TV, other)

• How adequate do you believe your knowledge about sex was as you were growing up? Please elaborate.

• What kinds of sexual messages, stated or unstated, did you get about sex when you were growing up (from family, media, religion, culture)? • How has your culture affected your sexual attitudes and values, and in general, do you believe culture impacts one’s sexual history? questions continued on next page…

• How old were you when you first remember having sexual feelings? Describe the circumstance and how you felt.

• What kind of sexual curiosity and exploration did you engage in as a child? (Playing doctor, looking at yourself, looking at parents, touching yourself, etc.)

• What are your current views and practices regarding masturbation?

• When did you have your first orgasm? What was your reaction?

• When did you first start dating and what were those experiences like for you? Elaborate.

• Have you engaged in sexual activity both with men and women, men only, or women only? How would you characterize yourself with regard to sexual orientation?

• How old were you when you first masturbated? How did you learn? Were you discovered? Elaborate on those early experiences physically and emotionally.

• What for you represents the first sexual experience you’ve had

• If you’ve ever had vaginal or anal intercourse, how old were you when you had it for the first time?

• What represents your initiation into full sexual activity?

• What were your feelings towards your first full sexual experience?

• Do you ever have sexual fantasies?

• If so, when are you most likely to have sexual fantasies (e.g., when with a partner, by yourself, or in both settings?)

• What effect do your fantasies have on your sexual experience? Do you have any negative feelings about fantasizing in general, or about any of your specific fantasies?

• How do you feel about giving oral sex? Please elaborate

• How do you feel about receiving oral sex? Please elaborate.

• Have you ever had any unwanted sexual contact? Describe the circumstances.

• Please tell me about the best sexual experience you’ve ever had.

• Overall, how satisfying has sex been in the sexual contacts or relationships you’ve had?

• How important is sex to you in a relationship?

• Ask this following question only if your interviewee identifies as gay or
lesbian: o As someone who identifies as gay or lesbian, what constitutes a full sexual experience for you?