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The paper examined perceptions of sex values among adolescents in a Nigerian University. The paper also reviewed sex values against religious and societal and cultural values such as virginity and fidelity all which go against pre-marital and extra-marital sex. Though adolescents are socialized on these values, their sex values manifested in their sex behaviour seem otherwise. Findings revealed that adolescents perceived sex (premarital or extramarital) as a normal way of life. Adolescents had significant knowledge of the social and religious values of the society on sex. Adolescents had adequate knowledge of health implications arising from sex. It was therefore concluded that adolescents be subjected to intense psychotherapy to change their perception of sex in order to modify their immoral and deviant sex behaviours.
Sex is relative, to others; it is human gender status (male or female). To others, it is a heterosexual intercourse. However, in this study, sex refers to a canal contact between male and female. Such people may be married or single adolescents or adults. Often such contact is a product of conscious agreement between the two (loved ones) or that of force where one party does not consent to but is forced into the act (e.g rape). Sex is an important human behaviour. This is because; it is the basis of human reproduction. In marriage, it is a tool for marital stability, self-gratification and reproduction. To others it is a tool for exploitation, oppression among others.
Knowledge of psychology has shown us (through Sigmund Freud's theory of psychosexual development) that right from childhood, the individual develops sex organs (instruments of sexual expression), and as well experiences sexual drives or instincts at various stages of human development (libido). Olayinka (2005:15) observes that such "sexual instincts are in their rudimentary form at childhood. At the adolescent (puberty) stage, he observers that 'puberty brings glandular development with the possibility of reproductive capacity." Buttressing to explain the physiological changes that take place in adolescents, Akem and Ortese (2004) observed that, it is at this stage that the individual matures physiologically to produce sex hormones (those produced by the endocrine glands). These are secreted into the adolescents' blood system for the consumption of other organs of the body. These sex hormones stimulate the physical growth of...