Psychology2016

410 CHAPTER 10

If people have had a homosexual experience as well as

heterosexual ones, does that make them bisexual people?

A person who is bisexual may be either male or female and is attracted to both

sexes. In the same national survey, only 0.4 percent of the men and 0.9 percent of the

women considered themselves to be bisexual (Ward et al., 2014). (It should be noted that

many people experiment with alternative sexual behavior before deciding upon their

true sexual identity; one bisexual experience does not make a person bisexual any more

than one homosexual experience makes a person homosexual.)

Bisexual people do not necessarily have relationships with both men and women

during the same period of time and may vary in the degree of attraction to one sex or the

other over time. Many bisexual individuals may not act on their desires but instead have

a long-term monogamous relationship with only one partner.

There are also people who do not identify as heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual

but see themselves as asexual. Asexuality is a lack of sexual attraction to anyone, or a lack

of interest in sexual activity (Prause et al., 2004). A study conducted in Great Britain indi-

cated that about 1 percent of the British population identified as asexual (Bogaert, 2006).

Obviously, sexual orientation is not as clearly defined as many people have assumed.

DEVELOPMENT OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION Although heterosexuality may be socially

acceptable across cultures, as stated earlier, there are various cultures in which homosexual-

ity and bisexuality are not considered acceptable and in which people of those orientations

have faced prejudice, discrimination, harassment, and much worse. Although attitudes in

some of these cultures are beginning to change to more positive ones (Loftus, 2001; Pew

Research Center, 2013; Tucker & Potocky-Tripodi, 2006), full acceptance of alternatives to

heterosexuality is still a long way off. Try the experiment, Implicit Association Test: Sexuality,

to learn what implicit preferences and prejudices you may hold toward both heterosexual

and homosexual individuals. Simulate the Experiment, Implicit Association Test: Sexuality

Yo u n g p e o p l e w h o a re c o m i n g t o t e r m s w i t h t h e i r i d e n t i t i e s a n d s e x u a l o r i e n t a-

tion seem to have great difficulty when faced with being homosexual, bisexual, or trans-

gender. These adolescents are at higher risk than their heterosexual peers for substance

abuse, sexually risky behavior, eating disorders, suicidal thinking, and victimization by

others (Coker et al., 2009; Kattari & Hasche, 2016; Ward et al., 2014; Zhao et al., 2010).

When identification of one’s sense of self as homosexual is paired with being another

type of social minority (such as Asian American or Pacific Islander living in the United

States), the stresses and pressures are compounded (Hahm & Adkins, 2009). In the cul-

tures from which these young people’s families originate, traditional values make homo-

sexuality a dishonor and shame to the family.

Is sexual orientation a product of the environment, biology, or both?

This is a very controversial issue for both heterosexual and homosexual people

( Diamond, 1995). If homosexuality is a product of upbringing and environmental experi-

ences, it can be assumed to be a behavior that can be changed, placing a burden of choice

to be “normal” or “abnormal” squarely on the shoulders of homosexual people. If it is bio-

logical, either through genetic influences or hormonal influences during pregnancy, then it

can be seen as a behavior that is no more a choice than whether the infant is born a male or

a female. The implications of homosexuality as biological lead to some volatile* issues: If it

is not a choice or a learned behavior pattern, then society will no longer be able to expect

or demand that homosexual people change their sexual behavior or orientation. Homosex-

uality becomes an issue of diversity rather than socially unacceptable behavior. In a sur-

vey of college students (Elliott & Brantley, 1997), the majority of women reported knowing

Homosexuality is a sexual orientation that
has faced discrimination and prejudice in
many cultures.

bisexual
person attracted to both men and
women. *volatile: explosive.