PSY354H5 Chapter Notes - Chapter 14: Sexual Orientation, Kinsey Scale, Sexual Attraction
Document Summary
Direction of our sexual attractions influences our personal and public life. Sexual orientation: direction of a person"s sexual feelings towards people of the same sex, opposite sex, or both sexes: it is highly gendered because most individuals are heterosexual. Only a minority likes the same sex as them. At either ends of the spectrum of sexual orientation is heterosexuality and homosexuality: heterosexuality: sexual attraction to people of the opposite sex, homosexuality: sexual attraction to people of the same sex. Between heterosexuality and homosexuality in the spectrum is bisexuality: bisexuality: sexual attraction to people of both sexes. The term gay can apply to both homosexual men and homosexual women. If we are referring to homosexual women only, that is called lesbian. Alfred kinsey developed a 7-point scale of sexual orientation (called it the kinsey scale). 0 (which means exclusively attracted to the opposite sex) to 6 (which means exclusively attracted to the same sex).
