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Chapter 10

Chapter 10. Sexual Orientation. Sexual Orientation. Erotic attraction & interest in romance , love Heterosexual (opposite) Homosexual (same) Bisexual (both?) Gender identity. Classification. Kinsey Continuum 3%-4% strictly gay 10% predominantly gay. Classification. Continuum

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Chapter 10

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  1. Chapter 10 Sexual Orientation

  2. Sexual Orientation • Erotic attraction & interest in romance, love • Heterosexual (opposite) • Homosexual (same) • Bisexual (both?) • Gender identity

  3. Classification • Kinsey • Continuum • 3%-4% strictly gay • 10% predominantly gay

  4. Classification • Continuum • 13% females 37% males had O w/ same gender • Gay experiences common (adolescence) • Behavior does not = orientation (prison)

  5. Class 03 (N = 121, Females = 74) M F Same-gender sex (Yes) 17.2% 27% Exclusively heterosexual 79.3% 85.1% Almost exclusive heterosexual 10.3% 10.8% Mostly heterosexual 3.4% 1.4% Equal homosexual heterosexual 0% 1.4% Exclusively homosexual 6.9% 1.4%

  6. NHSLS - Desire, Behavior, Self ID • Desire • 4% males 5.5% females desired SG sex • Behavior • 4% females had SG sex > 18 yrs old • 9% males had SG sex since puberty • Self-Identification • 2.8% males 1.4% females ID self as gay, lesbian or bisexual • 9% reported any 1 of these three

  7. Cross Cultural Perspectives • Same-gender sex common in preliterate societies • 64% see this as normal • Societies valuing female virginity • Sambian - semen gives young men strength • Ingest as much as possible from older males • Fellatio, anal sex • > 16-20 they engage in heterosexual relations

  8. Contemporary Societal Attitudes • Negative (changing) • 1977 56% endorsed equal rights • 1989 71% “ “ • 1996 84% “ “ • Vermont allows civil unions of gay couples • Florida does not allow gay adoptions • Supreme Court ruled sodomy laws unconstitutional (June, 2003)

  9. Societal Attitudes: Gay Myths • Gays are child molesters • 95% by male heterosexuals • Gays ‘seduce’ or train new gays • Green (1978) 36/37 reared by gays heterosexual • AA of Pediatrics supports gay adoption (2002) • Desire to be opposite sex • Most have anatomically correct gender identity

  10. Gay Myths (Bell et al, 1981) • Homosexuality due to child abuse or bad heterosexual experience • No increased rate of abuse among gays, lesbians • SO largely determined by adolescence, regardless of sexual activity • Same-gender attractions ~ 3 years before behavior • Parental style makes child gay • Parental identification plays no significant role • No association between mothering style & SO

  11. Video • Gay comedians

  12. Causes of Sexual Orientation • Biological • Psychological • Psychoanalytical • Social/learning*

  13. Biology & Sexual Orientation • Genes contribute to SO • Concordance for MZ = ~50%, DZ = ~20% • Heritability coefficient = .60 • Linked to X chromosome • Hamer et al. (1993) - Xq28 (33/40 brothers)

  14. Biology & Sexual Orientation • Fraternal birth order effect • Testosterone, H-Y antigen critical for brain differentiation in males • Maternal antibodies during male pregnancy compromise sexual brain differentiation • Each live-born male increases chance of later male child being homosexual • 28% (Ellis & Blanchard, 2001) • 33% (Blanchard & Bogaert, 1996) • 48% (Blanchard et al, 1998)

  15. Biology & Sexual Orientation • Fraternal birth order effect • What about social interpretation? • Older brothers - greater chance of gay experience • Nope! • No effect for females (either prior male or female birth) • All boys school - more gay experiences but not SO • (Wellings et al., 1994)

  16. Biology & Sexual Orientation • Gender related traits (Lippa, 2000) • Gay, bisexual men (v. heterosexual men) • Higher on feminine-typical occupation preference • Lower on self-ascribed masculinity • Higher on self-ascribed femininity • Lesbians/attracted (v. heterosexual women) • Higher on masculine-typical occupation preference • Higher on self-ascribed masculinity • Lower on self-ascribed femininity

  17. Biology & Sexual Orientation • Brain • ~Hypothalamus smaller among homosexuals • Inner ears of lesbians ~ heterosexual males • Cognitive performance • Spatial tasks: Women=gay men < heterosexual men • Verbal tasks: gay men = women > heterosexual men

  18. Biology & Sexual Orientation • Sperm wars • 6%-10% pop engage in homosexual behavior • Birds, non-human mammals also exhibit homosexual behavior • SO inherited • Must confer some reproductive advantage • No genetic influence could survive at this high a rate unless it helped to reproduce

  19. Biology & Sexual Orientation • Sperm wars • Homosexuality variant of bisexuality • Provides reproductive advantage • Early sexual experience helps to seduce women/men • 80% gay men engage in homosexual behavior by 15, 98% by 20 • LTR (heterosexual) - provides practice at infidelity

  20. Group Activity VI: Sexual Orientation • In a mixed-gender groups of four-five students each, discuss the following issue • After 10 minutes, one student from each group should summarize your answers to the class. • Please turn these in after class!

  21. Some people (even psychologists) advocate treating gay and lesbians to change their sexual orientation (e.g., by pairing homoerotic imagery with electric shock). Support groups even exist which are designed to help gays change their orientation and live a heterosexual life. Do you think it is possible to change someone’s sexual orientation? Do you think this kind of treatment should be done? Explain your position. Group Activity VI: Sexual Orientation

  22. Reparative Therapy • APA opposes therapies that assume homosexuality is an illness • No credible scientific evidence that this works to change SO • Methodological flaws & biases • May harm patients • Therapy sought by many due to social pressures

  23. Adjustment of Gays & Lesbians • No longer mental illness (APA) • Normal variant of sexuality • Risk factor for anxiety, depression, suicide • WHY? • Societal oppression • Developmental departure • Hormones • Lifestyle

  24. Coming Out & Disclosure work • Coming out may confer health benefits • Emotional disclosure of traumatic events/secretes improves health (Pennebaker, 1987, 1995) • Improved immune functioning, fewer doctor visits, colds, reduced blood pressure, depression, sadness & anxiety

  25. Hemenover(2003) • N = 55 • Disclosed 3 times (20 min) about past trauma (n = 29) or plans for next day (n = 26) • Measured health via self-report before disclosures and 3 months later • Changes in health across semester for 2 groups • Trauma improved compared to control

  26. Reaction Paper VII: Coming Out • How would you react if your friend came out to you as gay or lesbian? Would this make you feel uncomfortable? If so how would you deal with these feelings? • Do you think your friendship would change? If so in what ways?

  27. Homophobia • Fear of gays, lesbians, bisexuals (prejudice) • Derogatory names, language, jokes, behavior • Discrimination or gay bashing • Federal Task Force on Youth Suicide • Gay lesbian youth tormented • 77% verbally insulted • 27% threatened/experience physical violence

  28. Homophobia: Bull (1999) • October 1998 - March 1999 12 gay, transgendered people murdered • Antigay bias suspected • 3 sources of hatred • US v. THEM (social categorization) • We are better than them so... • Doctrine of manliness • Visibility • VIDEO - Antigay (Investigative Reports)

  29. Homophobia • What are the characteristics of people high on homophobia? • Mostly male with strong masculine identity • Misogynistic (hate anything feminine) • Low on empathy, high on religiosity • Cope w/ stress using denial, isolation tactics • May be denying their own homosexual feelings

  30. Homophobia: Adams et al. (1996) • N = 64 male college students • Reported exclusive heterosexuality (6 on Kinsey) • Completed measure of homophobia • Divided into homophobic, non-homophobic • Shown videos of heterosexual, homosexual sex • Recorded penile tumescence • Penile plethysmograph

  31. Adams et al. (1996) Heterosexual video Homosexual video Blocked line = non-homophobic Solid line = homophobic Lesbian video

  32. Homophobia: Adams et al. (1996) • Results reveal homophobia is associated w/ sexual arousal to homosexual stimuli • May suggest that homophobia is a ‘cover’ or denial of homosexual feelings • Source of most prejudices is ignorance • False beliefs about social group • Reduce prejudice by exposure, education

  33. Conclusions • SO hard to classify • Appears to be a continuum rather than poles • Attitudes vary by culture • US: Negative but changing • Etiology likely physiological/genetic • SO can’t be changed by therapy • Homosexuality risk factor for depression • Gay myths, prejudice, homophobia • Homophobes are misogynistic males who may be gay

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