Week 9 - Sexual Orientation and Sexuality Flashcards
Sexuality
Capacity for sexual responses and experiences.
Sexual Orientation: Psychological Phenomenon
Individual’s mental state
Sexual Orientation: Behavioural Component
Sexual feelings and experiences
Five Dimensions of Sexual Orientation
- Sexual attraction
- Sexual behaviour
- Personal identity
- Romantic relationships
- Community membership
Three Primary Dimensions of Sexual Orientation
- Identity
- Motivation
- Behaviour
How has time and culture impacted sexuality and sexual orientation?
Prior to mid 1800s, people enacted all types of sexuality, but didn’t make it a part of their identity.
After 1860s, people changes in their ideas about sexuality.
Assumptions about sexuality varied based on culture.
When was the term “sexual orientation” developed?
In Western medical and scientific fields in the 19th century to label sexuality.
What are some issues LGBTQ+ individuals of colour face?
Face challenges expressing sexual orientation due to cultural taboos, language barriers, etc.
Can lead to familial strain and community alienation.
May seek freedom in Western spaces but POC may face discrimination in white dominated LGBTQ+ spaces.
Identity
Recognition of self as belonging to a given group. Emotional significance attached to group’s membership.
People use the term “sexual identity” to describe orientation and feelings about the label.
Motivation
Feelings of desire and love. Longing for and impulse to seek proximity to a given target.
Sexual Behaviour
Anything considered an erotic act. Behaviours performed alone, with others, or with others who are not physically present (cybersex).
How is sexual orientation complex?
Inconsistency between sexual identification and sexual attraction/behaviours.
Need a better understanding of orientation that goes beyond the three category system (HGB).
There are four classes of orientation among men and five among women.
Phase Models of Sexual Identity Development
- Awareness
- Exploration
- Deepening and Commitment
- Integration and Synthesis
Phase Models of Sexual Identity Development: Awareness
Recognize a sense of difference from others in terms of sexual orientation.
Phase Models of Sexual Identity Development: Exploration
Explore same-sex feeling and erotic feelings.
Phase Models of Sexual Identity Development: Deepening and Commitment
Increasingly commit to one’s sexual identity
Phase Models of Sexual Identity Development: Integration and Synthesis
Integrate sexual identity into sense of self.
What factors can complicate sexual identity?
Religious and cultural factors.
Milestone Models of Sexual Minority Identity Development
- Awareness of same-sex attraction
- Labelling self as sexual minority individual
- First same-sex contact
- First disclosure of identity to others
Narrative Models of Sexual Identity Development
Considers how multiple sources of identity and pride interact to shape sexual identity development within a specific context.
The Heterosexual Questionnaire
Originated in 1972 by Martin Rochlin, a parody of questions originally spoken by conversion therapists designed to make heterosexuals uncomfortable.
Biological Theories of Sexual Orientation
Sexual orientation is moderately heritable, genes account for 14-67% of population variance in men’s sexual orientation, and 8-30% in women.
Biological Theories of Sexual Orientation: Neurohormonal Approach
Fetal exposure to sex hormones contribute to sexual orientation development.
Biological Theories of Sexual Orientation: Fraternal Birth Order Effect
A positive correlation between the amount of brothers a man has, and his likelihood of identifying as gay.
Evolutionary Theories of Sexual Orientation
Identifies how same-sex tendencies today may reflect genetically heritable adaptations to ancestral environments.
Evolutionary Theories of Sexual Orientation: Alliance Formation Hypothesis
Same-sex behavior may have been evolved to strengthen social bonds and alliances.
Evolutionary Theories of Sexual Orientation: Kin Selection
Explains male same-sex sexuality, helping behaviour costly in the short-term but beneficial in the long-term, increases genetics of helper’s relatives.
ex. A gay man helping his brother raise his children, he’s not having any children of his own but he’s helping carry on his family’s genes.
Evolutionary Theories of Sexual Orientation: Fecundity Hypothesis
Genes for male same-sex sexuality may pass down if the relatives are fecund (like to reproduce).
Evolutionary Theories of Sexual Orientation: Tipping Point Theory
A group of genes that code together for male same-sex sexuality also code for communal personality tendencies (self-importance).
Biobehavioral Model
Sexual desire towards same-sex individuals can develop in certain environments facilitated by oxytocin.
What is the role of sex and gender in sexuality in men?
Men reported more sexual experiences, and more permissive attitude about sex.
Greater frequency of casual sex, masturbation and pronography use.
Favourable attitudes about casual sex.
What is the role of sex and gender in sexuality in women?
Women reported more same-sex sexual experiences.
Stronger support for sexual minority rights and same-sex marriage.
Favourable attitudes about sex with emotional attachment.
Sexual Assertiveness
People’s perceived control about sexual intimacy.
Occupying a more powerful work role increases sexual assertiveness in women and men.
Sexual Assertiveness in Women
Women are less sexually assertive, have less emphasis on casual sex making them more selective about partners.
Orgasm Frequency
Sexual and relationship satisfaction for HLGB women and H men.
Biological and sexual factors affect orgasm frequency.
Orgasm Gap
Women orgasm less frequently than men during heterosexual intercourse.
Sexual Fluidity
Tendency for people’s sexual orientation of identity to change over time.
Women are more likely than men to experience this, and to perceive sexual identity as fluid.
What is the cultural impact of sex and gender on sexuality?
Gender roles in our culture has placed double standards on women’s sexuality than for men.
Marital and family roles.
Body image issues may contribute to women’s sexual functioning.
Pregnancy fears
Sexual learning through masturbation
Ineffective techniques of simulating the woman
Menopause
A discontinuation of menstruation and fertility found in women aged 44-55.
Stable declines in estrogen levels.
Erectile Dysfunction
Men tend to lose erectile function, often report difficulty achieving or maintaining an erection.
Medicalization of Sexuality
Process in which society views natural conditions (menopause) as illnesses that need diagnosis and treatments.
Pederastic Relationships
In ancient Greece, when men offered education, socialization and protection in exchanged for sexual favours by their younger companions.
Internalized Homophobia
When some sexual minority individuals internalize the negative messages they receive about homosexuality.
Asexual
No sexual attraction to anyone.
Passionate Friendships
Emotionally intense, sometimes romantic/sexual relationships between women that don’t follow traditional romance scripts.
Dopamine
Neurotransmitter associated with feelings of reward and positive arousal.
Companionate Love
Later stage of love defined by calm feelings of warmth and emotional closeness.
Sexting
Sending or receiving sexual messages on mobile devices.
