Module 2 PPT 8 Sexual Orientation

Flashcards about sexual orientation, its definitions, and related social issues.

Sexual Orientation: Nature vs. Nurture

Asks whether sexual orientation is determined by nature, nurture, or a combination of both.

Kinsey’s Continuum

A continuum rating scale to describe an individual's sexual orientation, ranging from exclusively heterosexual to exclusively homosexual.

Heterosexual

Attraction to the opposite sex.

Homosexual

Attraction to the same sex.

Bisexual

Attraction to both sexes.

Asexual

Lack of sexual attraction to either sex.

Sexual Fluidity

Variability in same-sex and other-sex attraction and involvement at different times and in different situations throughout the life span.

Homophobia

Strong, irrational fear of homosexuals; fixed negative attitudes and reactions to homosexuals.

Medical Model of Homosexuality

Theories that attempt to explain homosexuality as a mental disorder, often leading to institutionalization.

Psychoanalytic Theory of Sexual Orientation

Explains that an infant’s sexuality is undifferentiated at birth and learned through experiences, including the Negative Oedipus Complex.

Conversion Therapies

Therapies aimed at changing a homosexual person into a heterosexual person; success rates are questionable.

Bieber’s Research (1962)

Observed a family pattern of homosexuals with a dominant mother and a weak or passive father.

Interactionist Theory (Bem, 1996)

States that orientation is determined by the interaction of biological factors and experience; children's temperaments lead to different experiences with sexuality and gender identification.

Sociological Theory

The label 'homosexual' may become a self-fulfilling prophecy; societies with rigid gender roles produce higher rates of homosexuality.

Bell, Weinberg, and Hammersmith Findings

Sexual orientation seems to be determined before adolescence, likely with a biological basis, though no single factor has been consistently identified.