Sexuality Flashcards
Major dimensions of sexuality
Sexuality
- Dimensions of Sexuality
- Sexuality and Personality
- Origins of Variations in Sexuality
- Dimensions of Sexuality
Individual differences in sexual behaviours, preferences, and attitudes
Schmitt and Buss (2000): Lexical method
67 familiar adjectives describing a person’s sexuality
The “sexy seven”
e.g., Emotional investment, Sexual restraint, Sexual attractiveness, Relationship exclusivity, Gender Orientation
Two broad factors
Sexual Arousal
Sexual Commitment
Sexual Arousal
Tendency to feel sexually aroused, sexually attractive, and generally interested in sex
Sexual Commitment
Inclination to be strongly committed or attached to one sex partner vs. preference for multiple partners or to be weakly devoted to any one partner
High Sexual Arousal
Seductive, Sensual, Sexual arousing, Sexy, Erotic
Low Sexual Arousal
Celibate, Abstinent, Prudish
High Commitment
Devoted, Loving, Faithful, Monogamous
Low Commitment
Polygamous, Promiscuous
Loose, Unfaithful
High Sexual Arousal & Low Commitment
Obscene, Vulgar, Indecent
淫穢，粗俗，不雅
High Sexual Arousal & High Commitment
Passionate, Romantic, Affectionate
Differences between men and women?
Sexual Arousal: No difference
Sexual Commitment: moderately large difference between sexes
- Higher scores for women than for men: about 60% of women but less than 40% of men have above average levels of sexual commitment
Sexual Orientation
Heterosexual vs. homosexual and bisexual
Not substantially related to the two dimensions
-> additional dimension
- Sexuality and Personality
Sexual arousal and personality
Sexual commitment and personality
Sexual orientation and personality
2.1 Sexual Arousal and Personality
Positively related to E
Outgoing and lively people = stronger sex drive and stronger sense of being sexually attractive
2.2 Sexual Commitment and Personality
Positively related to A, C
Agreeable and conscientious people = stronger inclination to be faithful and devoted to a single partner, rather than to be promiscuous
Sociosexual Orientation
Simpson & Gangestad, 1991
Restricted vs. unrestricted
Sociosexually restricted (SSR)
Comfortable in a sexual relationship only if he/she feels a strong emotional bond
“Sex without love (impersonal sex) is highly unsatisfactory”
Sociosexually unrestricted (SSU)
Perfectly willing to engage in sexual relationships even in the absence of any emotional commitment
“Sex without love is ok”
Sexual commitment factor
Bourdage et al (2007): the HEXACO model
H-factor; also Emotionality, A, C
Reise and Wright (1996): Narcissism (.25) and psychopathy (.34)
2.3 Sexual Orientation and Personality
Distribution of sexual orientation
Bailey, Dunne, & Dunne, 2000
Entirely heterosexual: 92%
Mainly or entirely homosexual: M-4%, F-1%
What does a “feminine” or “masculine” personality means?
Bem (1974; Spence et al., 1974)
Masculine
- agentic traits such as dominance, independence, assertiveness
Feminine
- expressive, communal traits such as nurturance, compassion, interpersonal sensitivity
Gender-related interests
- occupational and hobby preferences
Lippa (2005)
Also important and perhaps more important than instrumentality and expressiveness
-> Gender diagnosticity (GD)
Lippa (2005)
Personality differences between heterosexual and non-heterosexual people?
Gay men vs heterosexual men
Lesbians vs heterosexual women
Bisexual men
Bisexual women
Gay men vs heterosexual men
Lower on Self-M-F, GD
Higher on expressiveness
BIG 5: higher O, A, C, N
Lesbians vs heterosexual women
Higher on Self-M-F, GD and instrumentality
BIG 5: Higher O, Lower N
Bisexual men
more similar to gay men on Self-M-F and GD
Bisexual women
more intermediate between heterosexual and lesbian women on Self-M-F and GD
Differences between heterosexual and non-heterosexual people in artistic vocational interests?
Leisure and recreational activities?
Openness to experience
Creativity and unconventionality
Lewis and Seaman (2004): General social survey
104 LGB and 2014 heterosexuals
LGB vs. heterosexuals
Higher % for museum visits, attendance of ballet/dance and classical music or opera performance
More likely to have taken part in live performance and to have played a musical instrument
Three times as likely to be professional artists (3.6% vs. 1.2%)
- Origins of variation in sexuality
Nature versus nurture?
- Sexual Arousal
- Sexual Commitment
- Sexual Orientation
3.1 Sexual Arousal
Dawood, Kirk, Bailey, Andrews, and Martin (2005)
Australian twin study: big samples of MZ and DZ twins (3080 women)
Heritability estimates between .30 and .40 for orgasm frequency during sexual intercourse or contact
- about .50 for orgasm during masturbation
-> Genetic basis
Biological basis and sexual behaviour
Hormones - Link between testosterone and sexual behaviour not strong
Genes related to dopamine levels, also related to sexuality;
- higher sexual arousal
- novelty-seeking-related traits? (Cloninger)
3.2 Sexual Commitment
Bailey et al (2000): 4900 Australian twins
Sociosexuality and sexual history
Heritability almost 50%
Environmental influences:
- no shared environmental, almost all due to unique environment within each family (within-family)
Hormones?
Studies among young men
Links between testosterone and number of sexual partners
Weaker links among women.
Neurotransmitters?
Garcia, MackKillop, Aller, Merriwehter, Wilson, & Lum (2010)
Nearly 200 young adults
Survey on personal history of sexual behaviour and intimate relationships
- promiscuity / one-night stands / sexual infidelity
Differences in the Dopamine D4 receptor Gene
3.3 Sexual Orientation
Genetic and environmental influences?
Twin studies?
Subsamples of participants who have homosexual orientations are very small
And there are, both homosexual twins are likely to participate together
-> Biased estimates, overestimation of heritability
Recent studies in large samples
(e.g. Bailey et al., 2000; Kendler et al., 2000; Langstrom et al. 2010)
Evidence for the genetic basis of sexual orientation
For women, some evidence for common environment effects
For both men and women: mostly unique environment effects
Development of sexual orientation
Bailey, Dunne, and Martin (2000): measured behaviour during childhood
-> Childhood gender nonconformity: boy-typical toys/activities vs. girl-typical toys/activities
Strongly correlated with sexual orientation in later life
Boys who prefer girl-typical activities are more likely to become gay men
Girls who prefer boy-typical activities are more likely to become lesbian women
Bailey et al. (2000)
Comparing each group with exclusively heterosexual participants (scoring 0 on Kinsey scale)
Heritability: 50% for men; slightly lower for women
No shared environment influences
Heritability of childhood gender nonconformity?
Easier to study than orientation: more variation in the scores
Bem (1996)
“exotic becomes erotic” theory of sexual orientation
Most children: engage in gender typical activities
When reaching puberty: sexual attraction toward the strange and unfamiliar “other” children
Members of the opposite sex appear to be mysterious and exotic but this becomes sexually attractive (“erotic”)
But what with children engaging in activities that are typical of the opposite sex?
Boys with preferences for “girlish” activities
Girls with preferences for “boyish” activities
Gender-nonconforming persons will tend to see members of the same sex as “exotic” - attracted to the same-sex
Development of sexual orientation - Number of older brothers
Bogaert (2000; 2003)
The more older brothers a man has, the more likely he is to be gay
Chances are 38% higher for every older brother that a man has
Why? The more older brothers a man has, the more likely he is to be gay
Consequence of any kind of sexual play
Birth order effect: higher openness?
Childhood gender nonconformity effect on sexual orientation might be stronger for boys with older brothers?
-> None of these explanations have been supported by research
Environment of the mother’s womb
Blanchard & Bogaert, 1996; Bogaert, 2003
Substances involved in the development of a male fetus may be recognized as foreign by the mother’s body
This might be stronger in later pregnancies and might have an impact on further male fetal development, counteracting the development of some male-typical features
Sexual orientation
Not with a female fetus
Likelihood of being lesbian is unrelated to the number of older sisters
