Clinical Psychology Commons^™

An Evaluation Of A Parent Sex Education Program, Janice Devlin

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Sex education during childhood and adolescence is much more than a "birds and bees" discussion between a mother and a daughter or a seventh-grade science unit on human reproduction. It is, rather, a pervasive experience involving children's everyday interactions with friends, family, and their wider social environments. Elizabeth Roberts (1980) has developed a framework for understanding sexuality that emphasizes the broad-based nature of sexual learning. She focuses on six dimensions of sexuality which are socially learned: gender role, affection and intimacy, family roles and social life styles, body image, erotic experiences, and reproduction. The role of the family in each …