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This document defines and describes key concepts related to sexual orientation and identity. It discusses heterosexuality as attraction to the opposite sex, and homosexuality as attraction to the same sex. Bisexuality is defined as attraction to both sexes. Sexual orientation exists along a continuum, and one's identity involves integrating different aspects of oneself into a cohesive whole. Attraction involves the chemistry that motivates relationships with others.

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Lau Angel
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423 views

Notes

This document defines and describes key concepts related to sexual orientation and identity. It discusses heterosexuality as attraction to the opposite sex, and homosexuality as attraction to the same sex. Bisexuality is defined as attraction to both sexes. Sexual orientation exists along a continuum, and one's identity involves integrating different aspects of oneself into a cohesive whole. Attraction involves the chemistry that motivates relationships with others.

Uploaded by

Lau Angel
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Sexual Orientation motivates us to be with another person—and them with

us.
— Sexual orientation describes patterns of emotional,
romantic, and sexual attraction—and one's sense of Elements
personal and social identity based on those attractions. A
Physical Psychological Attractiveness: Creating
person's sexual orientation is not an either/or matter; Connections Attractiveness: Looking Sexy
sexual orientation exists along a continuum, with
Behavioral Attractiveness: Making Bold Moves
attraction exclusively to the opposite sex on one end of
Arousal
the continuum and attraction exclusively to the same sex
on the other end. —Arousal is a major aspect of many learning theories as
it were closely related to other concepts, such as
Heterosexual
attention, motivation, agitation, anxiety, and stress.
— Heterosexuality is attraction to people of the opposite
—The arousal level may be thought of as how much
sex. Men who are attracted to women and women who
emotional capacity you have available to work with. One
are attracted to men are heterosexual.
finding with respect to arousal is the Yerkes-Dodson
—To be a heterosexual man or woman means having a law, which predicts an inverted U-shaped function
personally significant and meaningful romantic and/or between arousal and performance
sexual attraction primarily to adults of the opposite sex.
Identity
Homosexual
—The pioneering identity researcher Erik Erikson first
—Sexual interest in and attraction to members of one’s proposed the term “ego identity,” which he conceived as
own sex. The term gay is frequently used as a synonym an enduring and continuous sense of who we are. The
for homosexual; female homosexuality is often referred ego identity allows a person to merge all the different
to as lesbianism. versions of oneself (the parent self, the career self, the
sexual self) into one cohesive whole, so that when
—To be a homosexual man or woman means having a
unexpected disaster strikes, there is a stable sense of self.
personally significant and meaningful romantic and/or
sexual attraction primarily to adults of the same sex. (To —Who Am I?
be an openly gay man or woman implies a personal
"We contain multitudes," wrote Walt Whitman, referring
social integration with one’s homosexuality, including
to the fact that we see ourselves radically differently in
being “out” by fully accepting one’s homosexuality and
different contexts. Everyone struggles with the
sharing about it with friends, family, and others.)
existential question, "Who am I?" For people who are
Attraction overly concerned with the impression they make, or who
feel a core aspect of himself, such as gender or sexuality,
—When we think about dating and relating to a partner,
are not being expressed, this struggle is acute.
being attractive and sexy often comes to mind. That
feeling of attraction is the "chemistry" or spark that Bisexual
—bisexual is a person who has romantic and/or sexual
relations with people of more than one sex. However,
since not everyone has necessarily acted on their
sexual/romantic attractions, some people prefer a looser
definition; for instance, that a bisexual is a person who,
in their own estimation, feels potentially able to have
such attraction. This could be anyone who has erotic,
affectionate, or romantic feelings for, fantasies of, and/or
experiences with both men and women.

—To be a bisexual man or woman means having a


personally significant and meaningful romantic and/or
sexual attraction to both adult males and females. Those
who self-identify as bisexual need not be equally
attracted to both sexes.

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