What is sexual orientation and how it develops?

Sexual orientation is a concept that refers to the type of sexual attraction that one person experiences towards others. From this perspective it seems that it is something simple, but, you have ever asked yourself: why is someone heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual? Studies in this area teach us that attraction is something much more complex than we usually think.

In this article, we will explore more the concept and the different variations that exist in human nature. We will also review the main theories that try to explain the genesis of sexual attraction.

Content

• What is sexual orientation?
• Types of sexual orientation
  • Heterosexuality
  • Homosexuality
  • Bisexuality
  • Asexuality
  • Pansexuality
• How sexual orientation develops?
  • References

What is sexual orientation?

This term is related to the type of sexual attraction someone feels towards others depending on their sex and gender. We must not confuse it with gender identity, which refers to the way in which an individual perceives. In other words, sexual orientation has to do with whom we feel attraction. For its part, gender identity is associated with the perception we have of us as men or women.

Nor should we use the expression sexual preference When talking about the orientation of attraction. The term preference carries the connotation that people somehow choose whoever felt attracted. However, as we will see later, it is not a conscious choice. That is, nobody wakes up one day and thinks "I'm going to fall in love with a man" or "I will marry a woman".

Types of sexual orientation

As mentioned before, the classification of sexual attraction depends on the sex and gender of the people who attract us. In this way, the following categories or types of sexual orientation can be distinguished in human nature.

Heterosexuality

It refers to the sexual attraction that is felt by people of sex or gender contrary to their own. That means that heterosexual men experience attraction by women and vice versa. In a statistical sense, heterosexuality is the most common manifestation of attraction that exists in animal species.

Homosexuality

Contrary to heterosexuality, homosexuality is the attraction to individuals of the same gender or sex as the own. A homosexual woman is attracted to other women, while a homosexual man has attraction to other men. In statistical terms, homosexuality is less frequent than heterosexuality, but it is equally natural as this.

As with heterosexual behaviors, homosexuality can be seen in a wide variety of animal species. Although, in history, homosexuals have faced a lot of discrimination because of living in a heteronormative society.

Bisexuality

Bisexuality is the type of attraction that occurs towards people of sex and gender own and contrary. A person with this sexual orientation can be attracted by individuals of any other genre, including non -binary. As in the case of homosexuality and heterosexuality, it is a behavior observed in other animal species.

Likewise, bisexual people tend to be the subject of discrimination and prejudices just like homosexuals. Again, the perspective that heterosexuality is the "normal" for being most generates wrong ideas about bisexuality and homosexuality.

For example, there are those who believe that bisexuality is a transient confusion in someone's sexual life. From this point of view, a bisexual would be someone undecided between feeling attraction for the opposite genre or one's own. However, it is a false belief since bisexuality is a type of attraction as stable as homosexuality and heterosexuality.

Asexuality

This is the total or partial absence of sexual attraction towards any gender. An asexual person does not experience desire either for men or women or non -binary individuals. Although, there are asexuals that do feel romantic attraction towards some gender or all and maintain stable emotional relationships. This means that asexuality is more a spectrum where romantic attraction may be excluded or not.

In the same way, it is important to clarify that some asexual people do have sex, either to reproduce or satisfy their partner. But, the difference is that sexual attraction is not essential for them, as it is in homosexuality, heterosexuality and bisexuality.

Pansexuality

The term describes a sexual orientation where attraction occurs regardless of the genre or sex of the other. At present, there is still a certain debate with respect if bisexuality and pansexuality are different categories. Sometimes, it is argued that bisexuality is governed by male - female binarism, while the pansexuality would encompass the non -binary spectrum.

However, as stated before, bisexuality can include non -binary genres too. For that reason, it is possible to consider that panSexuality and bisexuality are synonym, there is even more clear about it about it.

How sexual orientation develops?

When it comes to explaining why people develop a particular type of sexual attraction, the issue is complicated. To date, it is not possible to say exactly the causes for which a person is heterosexual, bisexual, homosexual or asexual. Before, it used to be thought that it was the result of certain types of parenting. Then, biological models were proposed to describe the origin of sexual attraction.

Today, the scientific consensus is that sexual attraction arises from the interaction between genetic, hormonal and environmental factors. But, again, there is still much to learn to be able to give a satisfactory answer to this question. A study indicates that the majority of the research focuses on the sexual attraction of men and neglects women. Similarly, it does not explain the different between homosexual and heterosexual men.

Another systematic review indicated that, although progress has been made in the understanding of sexual orientation, much remains to be learned. In conclusion, only future scientific research will allow us to better understand this human phenomenon.

References

• Bogaert, a. F., & Skorska, M. N. (2020). A short review of biological researcch on the unfortunate sexual orientation. Hormones and behavior, 119, 104659.
• Crooks, r., Baur, k., & Rojas, L. C. (2010). Our sexuality. MEXICO: CENGAGE LEARNING.
• Wang, and., Wu, h., & Sun, Z. S. (2019). The Biological Basis of Sexual Orientation: Hormonal How, Genetic, and Environmental Factors Influence To Whom We Are Sexually Attracted. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, 55, 100798.