|
from Clinical/Therapeutic Issues
Sex Differences In Flexibility
Of Sexual Orientation
February 28, 2006 -
Dr. Jeffrey Satinover, in his recently-published NARTH paper, The Trojan Couch,
points out that "sexual orientation" has been found to be unstable over time in
both males and females. This conclusion is found in many studies, including the
research findings of Edward O. Laumann, John H.Gagnon, Robert T. Michael, and
Stuart Michaels in The Social Organization of Sexuality: Sexual Practices in the
United States, (University of Chicago Press, 1994)
According to Satinover, Laumann and his colleagues "found to their surprise that
its [sexual orientation] instability over the course of life was
one-directional: declining, and very significantly so. Homosexuality tended
spontaneously to 'convert' into heterosexuality as a cohort of individuals aged,
and this was true for both men and women-the pull of the normative, as it were."
One of the main discoveries of Laumann was that homosexuality, as a fixed trait
"scarcely even seems to exist." (Quote from Laumann, Michael, Gagnon in Family
Planning Perspectives, Jan-Feb 1994.)
A study published in Archives of Sexual Behavior, (April 2005) also confirms the
flexibility of sexual orientation. "Sex Differences in the Flexibility of Sexual
Orientation: A Multidimensional Retrospective Assessment," by Kinnish,
Strassberg, and Turner, surveyed self-identified homosexuals, bisexuals, and
heterosexuals, to determine if there were differences between males and females
in the flexibility of their sexual orientations.
The authors note that while most researchers have maintained the position that
sexual orientation is "stable across the lifespan" this view has been challenged
in recent years by other researchers who say that "sexual orientation is
inherently flexible, evolving continuously over the lifespan. From this
perspective, individuals may experience transitions in sexual orientation
experiences, social interactions, and the influence of the cultural context."
Lesbians, in particular, have been found to be more flexible in their sexual
orientation than male homosexuals. Researchers have described this flexibility
variously as "greater fluidity and ambiguity," "choices or social and political
constructions," and that women are more responsive to "culture, learning and
social circumstances."
The researchers interviewed 762 men and women who described themselves as either
heterosexual, bisexual, homosexual, or other.
They found that "lesbian participants were far more likely than gay men to
report having previously identified as something other than homosexual .... most
of the women had previously identified as heterosexual, while for the males, the
modal prior identification was as bisexual (rather than heterosexual). In this
sense of change too, it could be argued that the women demonstrated greater
fluidity (moving from heterosexual to homosexual) than did the men (moving from
bisexual to homosexual)."
The researchers also noted: "Contrary to our predictions, bisexual men and women
did not differ with regard to reported change in sexual orientation over time."
They also admit: "...there is no agreed-upon definition or measurement of sexual
orientation .... In this study, sexual orientation was defined as a
multidimensional construct comprised of cognitive, behavioral, and affective
components."
Additional Reading: Counselor Sheds Light On Helping Women With Same-Sex Attractions
Updated: 8 February 2008
|
