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Biological theory basis of sexual orientation
The evolution of homosexuality
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“The Eyes Have It: Pupil Dilation Indicates Sexuality” is a report published in Livescience. The issue addressed in the report was the relationship between pupil dilation and sexual orientations. Previous research methods measuring sexual orientations, such as self-report and genital arousal, can be misleading because these acts are conscious and can be affected by social and cultural factors. A new study conducted by researchers from Cornell University revealed that how the pupils react can access a person’s sexual orientation. For example, when a straight man sees a sexy woman, his pupils will dilate while the pupils of a homosexual man will expand when he sees a handsome man. Women and men have different pupils reactions when they receive …show more content…
In the research article, Rieger and Savin-Williams mainly explain sexual differences in pupil dilation from the perspective of evolution and adaption. Women are weaker and it is easier for them to encounter rapes. In order to protect themselves from being hurt by force, they display sexual arousal to stimuli from both sexes because the lubrication can help reduce the risk of injury. The report’s opinions were in line with those in the research article. In this part, the report used a wrong word, which made it less accurate. It used “sexual simulation” (Matthews, 2012) while I think it should be “sexual stimuli”. Apart from this view, the report also discussed from the point of view of brain structure, which was not included in the original research article. When it comes to bisexual men, the report addressed the dispute on bisexual men. The facts and opinions mentioned in the report were consistent with the research. The report did not discuss bisexual women. The report also discussed the advantages of pupil dilation accurately. It could help the research reach more and wider samples, such as minors. However, the report failed to encompass the limitations of pupil dilations. As was stated in the research article, pupil dilations could be affected by noise, such as “luminance and cognitive load” (Rieger & Savin-Williams, 2012). For example, it might be unethical to look at naked men and women. Furthermore, the participants could control the time spent on the video. Therefore, not all pupil data in the research was objective and
Empirical research has investigated an infants’ capability of using an adult’s eye gaze to direct their own eye gaze onto an external stimulus (Reid & Striano, 2005). Hoehl, Reid, Mooney, and Striano (2008) wanted to further expand on this research and investigate this at a neural level. It is necessary that conclusions drawn from this particular study are applicable to all infants. Therefore, it is important that this research is reliable and valid and that any limitations of this research can be improved upon to help expand the field further.
Littrell, Nereida. "Sigmund Freud's concept of bisexuality." www.examiner.com/article/sigmund-freud-s-concept-of-bisexuality . N.p., 17 march 2012. Web. 10 Apr 2014.
Faculty Researchers want to know Does sexual orientation have an impact on nonverbal behavior in interpersonal communication? Yes, sexual orientation does have an impact on nonverbal behavior in interpersonal communication. People can detect sexual orientation in homosexual or heterosexual rather they speaking verbally, nonverbally or can be engaged in both communication skills at the same time. However, women and men have different ways of using body gestures and we will learn more about it throughout my paper. The method was used in this study half women and half men participants in the sexual orientation nonverbal test. All dyads consist of individuals of the identical sex. All homosexual participants were conscious of their own sexual orientation
References to Kurt Freund’s studies to “assess sexual arousal in men and women” and Alfred Kinsey’s “sexual orientation” scale are made to further explain how sexuality and asexuality are not solid concepts with strict definitions of their own but rather more multifarious. For
Homosexual is a romantic attraction that occurs between two people of the same sex. This is the endurance pattern with an aim of experiencing sexual, affection and romantic attractions which is exclusively between similar genders. This is one of the three major categories of sexual orientation in sex. There have been many issues and concerns regarding the issue of homosexuality. In any society, homosexual has always been considered as evil and ungodly (Connors 2007). It is also considered as something extra ordinary that is only practiced by a certain part of people. For this reason, there are many discussions on homosexuality and this also includes a number of theories. These researchers are forwarded to explain the cause and the origin of homosexuality in both men and women. One of the famous theories that were forwarded on homosexuality are the theories by Freud`s and Jung. This essay introduces the theories on homosexual as they were discussed by Freud and Jung. Further, I will compare and contrast Freud’s and Jung’s theories about the sexual orientation in women. In particular, what factors lead females to become homosexual?
Psychologists argue that this ... ... middle of paper ... ... so my findings cannot be generalised to the whole population. Another explanation is that I used a male picture as well as a female picture whereas Hess only used a female picture. The significance of this is that the male picture with constricted pupils could be seen as more attractive as the picture with dilated pupils may intimidate both males and females.
What controls a human's sexual orientation? The long-standing debate of nature versus nurture can be extended to explaining human sexual orientation. Is it biological or environmental? The biological explanation has been gaining popularity amongst the scientific community although it is only based on speculations. It is argued that sexual orientation is linked to factors that occur during sexual differentiation. The prenatal exposure to androgens and their affect on the development of the human brain play a pivotal role in sexual orientation (2). Heredity is also part of the debate. Does biology merely provide the slate of neural circuitry upon which sexual orientation is inscribed? Do biological factors directly wire the brain so that it will support a particular orientation? Or do biological factors influence sexual orientation only indirectly?
Milstein, Susan A. Taking Sides Clashing Views in Human Sexuality. Ed. William J. Taverner and Ryan W. McKee. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print.
Despite the large collection of literature of sexuality that has been accumulating, human asexuality has been largely ignored. Asexuality is controversially considered to be a sexual orientation and people who identify as asexual are people who typically do not experience sexual attraction (Asexuality Visibility and Education Network, 2013). Though research on sex and sexual orientations has been done for centuries, the first real suggestion that there might be people who fall outside of the heterosexual – homosexual orientation spectrum came from Kinsey and colleagues in 1948. These individuals were put into a separate category and were identified as having no erotic response to hetero- or homosexual stimuli, but otherwise they were largely ignored by the researchers (Kinsey, 1953). Later, researchers linked asexuality with negative traits and pathologies, including depression and lower self-esteem (Masters, Johnson, & Kolodny, 1986; Nuius, 1983). An issue with these studies, however, is that the researchers defined asexuality in a way that most current asexuals do not agree with. For example, in a study done by Bell and Weinberg (1978), there were references made to asexual homosexuals who simply hid their homosexuality. Many asexuals, otherwise known as Aces, would struggle with this definition because homosexuality implies a type of sexual attraction: attraction to your same sex. Because Aces typically do not feel sexual attraction to anyone or anything, they should not be classified under the same label as a closeted homosexual. Another issue is that none of these studies actually focused on asexuality. Instead, they were added on the side and generally ignored.
Since the 1800's, psychiatrists and psychologists have concluded that homosexuality is a mental disorder. They have believed it is brought about by misguided upbringing and their social environments. For instance, it was believed that if the child was lacking a male - figure in the home, he would most likely be gay. Or that child abuse can lead to lesbianism when the special needs of a little girl are denied, ignored, or exploited and the future womanhood of the child is in risk. However, inconsistencies in the research subjects' abuse records ruled these theories out. And if this were the case, then why is homosexuality present in different cultures? Some believed homosexuality was caused by a difference in brain structure. In 1991, Simon LeVay published research stating that sexual orientation may be the result of differing brain structures. The hypothalamus, a region in the brain that governs sexual behavior, was the structure that LeVay was pointing as the structure at fault. In his studies of the hypothalamus, he found that in homosexual men, the hypothalamus was smaller than that of heterosexual men. Instead, it was the size of the female hypothalamus, consequently explaining their sexual tendencies.
Genetics, biology, and upbringing are all key aspects in determining one’s sexual orientation. Many of the factors are combined to make up how a person feels or who he or she is attracted to. There is no definite answer to why someone has a particular orientation, but there are studies that sugge...
Stein, Edward. The Mismeasure of Desire: The Science, Theory, and Ethics of Sexual Orientation. New York, NY: Oxford UP, 1999. Print. 20 Oct. 2011
The method was used in this study, half women and half men participants in the sexual orientation nonverbal test. All dyads consist of individuals of the identical sex. All homosexual participants were conscious of their own sexual
The sexual orientation of a person has been a critical debate over the past several centuries. For several...
Objectification is a phenomenon where an individual’s humanity is disregarded, it’s value is treated as just a mere body or collection of body parts, and is seen as a commodity by others (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997; Nussbaum, 1995). It appears that objectification is more prevalent in gay men than in heterosexual men due to them experiencing the male gaze in a way that is similar to women. There is a internalized view within gay men that they should maintain their appearance and be concerned with their attractiveness (Gettelman & Thompson, 1993; Sergios & Cody, 1985). In contrast, bisexual men face self-objectification of their own bodies which heavily influences the way they live. Due to emphasis placed on appearance in gay subculture, this perpetuates a notion that gay and bisexual men have to focus on their external features (e.g., face, body, facial hair) as it an indicator of masculinity (Morgan & Arcelus, 2009). Research has proven that this self-objectification is revolved around masculinity, and that both gay and bisexual men desire to be more masculine and leaner (Martins, Tiggermann, & Churchett,