Sexual practice or sexual behaviour is the manner in which people experience and express their sexuality. People engage in a variety of sexual acts, ranging from activities done alone (e.g., masturbation) to acts with another person (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penetrative sex, oral sex, etc.), for a wide variety of reasons. Sexual activity usually results in sexual arousal and physiological changes in the aroused person, some of which are pronounced while others are more subtle. Sexual activity may also include conduct and activities which are intended to arouse the sexual interest of another or enhance the sex life of another, such as strategies to find or attract partners, or personal interactions between individuals (for instance, foreplay or BDSM).

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Sexual activity has sociological, cognitive, emotional, behavioral and biological aspects; these include personal bonding, sharing emotions and the physiology of the reproductive system, sex drive, sexual intercourse and sexual behavior in all its forms.

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Sexual activity can be classified in a number of ways: acts which involve one person (also called autoeroticism) such as masturbation, or two or more people such as vaginal sex, anal sex, oral sex or mutual masturbation. If there are more than two participants in the sex act, it may be referred to as group sex. Autoerotic sexual activity can involve use of dildos, vibrators, anal beads, and other sex toys, though these devices can also be used with a partner. The relationships can be ones of marriage, intimate partners, casual sex partners or anonymous. Sexual activity can be regarded as conventional or as alternative, involving, for example, fetishism, paraphilia, or BDSM activities.

 

Sexual activity can be consensual, which means that both or all participants agree to take part and are of the age that they can consent, or it may take place under force or duress, which is often called sexual assault or rape.

 

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Motivations

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People engage in sexual activity for any of a multitude of possible

reasons. People have sex for four general reasons: physical

attraction, as a means to an end, to increase emotional connection,

and to alleviate insecurity.

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Most people engage in sexual activity because of pleasure they

derive from the arousal of their sexuality, especially if they can

achieve orgasm. Sexual arousal can also be experienced from

foreplay and flirting, and from fetish or BDSM activities, or other

erotic activities. Most commonly, people engage in sexual activity

because of the sexual desire generated by a person to whom they

feel sexual attraction; but they may engage in sexual activity for the

physical satisfaction they achieve in the absence of attraction for

another, as in the case of casual sex. At times, a person may engage

in a sexual activity solely for the sexual pleasure of their partner,

such as because of an obligation they may have to the partner or

because of love, sympathy or pity they may feel for the partner.

Also a person may engage in sexual activity for purely monetary

considerations, or to obtain some advantage from either the partner or the activity. When this involves having sex with, or performing certain actual sexual acts for another person in exchange for money or something of value, it is called prostitution. Other aspects of the adult industry include phone sex operators, strip clubs, and pornography.

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Orientations and sex

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Different-sex sexual practices may be monogamous, serially monogamous, or polyamorous, and, depending on the definition of sexual practice, abstinent or autoerotic.

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It is possible for a person whose sexual identity is mainly heterosexual to engage in sexual acts with people of the same sex. Same-sex sexual behavior is sometimes viewed as solely for physical pleasure. Men who have sex with men, as well as women who have sex with women, may engage in sex acts with members of the same sex while continuing sexual and romantic relationships with the opposite sex.

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People who engage exclusively in same-sex sexual practices may not identify themselves as gay or lesbian. In sex-segregated environments, individuals may seek relationships with others of their own gender (known as situational homosexuality). In other cases, some people may experiment or explore their sexuality with same (or different) sex sexual activity before defining their sexual identity.

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