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Human Sexuality Today, 10th edition

Published by Pearson (April 11, 2024) © 2025

  • Pamela Regan California State University, Los Angeles
  • Bruce M. King Clemson University

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For courses in Human Sexuality.

A holistic examination that encourages reflection on how human sexuality impacts lives today

Human Sexuality Today helps students understand the key concepts of the discipline in order to make responsible decisions in their daily lives. Employing a conversational writing style, authors Pamela Regan and Bruce King present relevant information in a warm manner that leaves students with positive feelings about sex and their own sexuality.

The 10th Edition has been updated to reflect the latest research in the field. The authors present new discussions of topics such as sexuality during pregnancy, paraphilic disorders, the sexual behavior of teenagers and more.

Hallmark features of this title

  • Cross-Cultural Perspectives and Sexuality and Health sections prompt students to adopt a global perspective and focus on the impact of cultural and ethnic factors.
  • End-of-chapter study guides provide self-contained, self-assessment tools.
  • Chapter-opening learning objectives, boldfaced key terms and a glossary help students build their understanding of the material.
  • Numerous case histories draw students into the content and make the material more relevant.

New and updated features of this title

  • UPDATED: Each chapter in the 10th Edition contains the latest data and research findings, including more than 900 new citations. Highlights of new and updated content include the following:
    • Streamlined coverage of HIV/AIDS and new material on Mpox in Chapter 5
    • Updated information on nurse-midwives, doulas, and home birth; breast-feeding; and fertility issues in Chapter 7
    • New coverage of components of sex and gender; gender incongruence; and the social and medical process of gender affirmation in Chapter 8
    • Updated material on sexual disorders (from the most recent editions of the DSM and ICD) as well as hypersexuality and sex addiction in Chapter 13
    • New analysis of the legal status of prostitution around the world as well as the personal and social consequences of sex work in Chapter 16

Features of Revel for the 10th Edition

  • Key terms with pop-up inline definitions allow students to see the meaning of a word or phrase while reading the text, providing context.
  • Practice exercises and key term flashcards aid with study and retention.
  • Graded multiple-choice end-of-module and end-of-chapter quizzes test students' knowledge and comprehension.
  1. Why a Course in Human Sexuality?
  2. Our Sexual and Reproductive Anatomy
  3. Hormones and Sexuality
  4. Similarities and Differences in Our Sexual Responses
  5. Sexually Transmitted Infections and Sexually Related Diseases
  6. Birth Control
  7. Pregnancy and Childbirth
  8. Sex and Gender
  9. Sexual Orientation
  10. Life-Span Sexual Development
  11. Adult Sexual Behaviors and Attitudes
  12. Love and Relationships
  13. Sexual Problems and Therapy
  14. Paraphilias and Sexual Variants
  15. Sexual Victimization: Rape, Coercion, Harassment and Abuse of Children
  16. Selling Sex: Social and Legal Issues

About our authors

Pamela Regan is Professor of Psychology at California State University, Los Angeles. She received her Ph.D. in Psychology with a supporting program in Statistics from the University of Minnesota and her undergraduate degree in English from Williams College. Her research interest is in the area of interpersonal relationships, with an emphasis on passionate love, sexual desire and mate preference. She has published more than 100 journal articles, book chapters and reviews (and has given over 75 professional presentations) on the dynamics of sex, love and human mating, and she is the author of Close Relationships (Routledge, 2011) and The Mating Game: A Primer on Love, Sex, and Marriage (Sage, 2017) and the coauthor (with Ellen Berscheid) of The Psychology of Interpersonal Relationships (Pearson, 2005) and Lust: What We Know About Human Sexual Desire (Sage, 1999). In 2007, she was honored with the Outstanding Professor Award by her university for excellence in instructional and professional achievement.

Bruce M. King received a B.A. in psychology from UCLA and a Ph.D. in biopsychology from the University of Chicago. He taught human sexuality for 40.5 years to 65,000 students at the University of New Orleans from 1981 to 2007 and Clemson University from 2007 to 2021. He retired in 2021. Professor King was senior author on Human Sexuality Today for the first 9 editions (1990 through 2021). He has published many papers on the teaching of human sexuality (e.g., Is there a gender difference in US college students’ desire for school-based sexuality education? Sex Education, volume 20) and methodology in sexual behavior survey research (e.g., The influence of social desirability on sexual behavior surveys: A review, Archives of Sexual Behavior, volume 51). He also authored numerous papers in peer-reviewed journals on the biological basis of feeding behavior and obesity. Professor King is a Fellow in the Association for Psychological Science, the American Psychological Association and the International Behavioral Neuroscience Society.

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