Measuring the Sexual Orientation - Essay Example

Measuring the sexual orientation: of a Portuguese gay, lesbian and bisexual Internet sample WORD COUNT FOR 175 WORD COUNT FOR ARTICLE: 3878ABSTRACT: This article surveyed the measurement of sexual orientation of a Portuguese gay, lesbian and bisexual Internet population. Total number of participants in the study who filled out the Klein Sexual Orientation Grid (Portuguese version) available on the World Wide Web was 714 men and 91 women all gay, lesbian or bisexual identified (a total of 1000). This method was chosen because the Internet is now an important tool used by gays, lesbians and bisexuals for socializing and to gather information. Basic ethical issues were observed namely, informed consent, maintenance of privacy and confidentiality. Key theoretical issues were addressed such as the categorization of sexual orientation, its origins and development. Data analysis consisted of subjecting the items of the Grid to a factor analysis of principal components, internal reliabilities by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (α = .94), frequency analysis and comparisons between temporal dimensions (present, past, and ideal). The results indicate that sexual orientation is a dynamic process and can be subject to change, when subjected to temporal analysis. The implications of such results are also discussed. KEYWORDS: Sexual orientation, heterosexuality, bisexuality, homosexuality. “Sexual orientation is one of the four components of sexuality and is distinguished by an enduring emotional, romantic, sexual or affectionate attraction to individuals of a particular gender.(…)Three sexual orientations are commonly recognized: homosexual, attraction to individuals of ones own gender; heterosexual, attraction to individuals of the other gender; or bisexual, attractions to members of either gender. Persons with a homosexual orientation are sometimes referred to as gay (both men and women) or as lesbian (women only). Sexual orientation is different from sexual behavior because it refers to feelings and self-concept. Persons may or may not express their sexual orientation in their behaviors”. Public Affairs, American Psychological Association, 2002 INTRODUCTION Traditionally, sexual orientation has been studied from polarized points of view, in which a person would express it by contrast to an opposed sexuality. In this context, for instance, homosexuality would be treated as a consequence of social sexual roles inversion and categories were dichotomically presented, leaving no other possible classifications (McConaghy, 1977). Sexual orientations other than what is purely heterosexual, hence, were considered to be homosexual and deviant. This has been changed when the works of Kinsey et al. (1948) opened a road to understanding when they explored sexual orientation exclusively in terms of erotic feelings, based on the function of physical reactions towards determined stimuli – other or same-sex partner and based on the type of sexual behaviour practiced. For Kinsey, it was clear that sexual orientation could only be understood on a one-dimensional continuum, where heterosexuality and homosexuality were at extreme polar ends, but never 100 percent attainable and thus non-existent. In this way, the majority of people would fall somewhere on this continuum. The Kinsey’s model, however, presents an important limitation: it implies a reciprocal relation, i.e., the more one is heterosexual the less homosexual he or she should be and vice versa (Sanders et. al., 1990). This is the reason why in 1980, Storms presented a modified Kinsey model, considering that both homosexuality and heterosexuality could be viewed as orthogonal independent dimensions and not as the extremes of a single dimension. From here, four categories were proposed, depending on the degree of homoeroticism and heteroeroticism and presenting a bi-dimensional structure where bisexual people are represented as having high levels of homosexuality and heterosexuality and not just as having moderate levels for each either one. Presently, there is a good number of studies and literature on the subject. However, the body of literature underscores a need to consider other dimensions when trying to understand the real nature of sexual orientation besides the variables used by the likes of the Kinsey model and its predecessors. This is particularly important especially due to its dynamic character and to the fact that it may vary throughout the lifecycle. (Nusbaum & Rosenfeld 2004, p. 146) This aspect is fundamental in the undertaking of this study – to demonstrate the current trend in the sexual orientation of the Portuguese internet community. This paper recognizes that, as a communication medium, the Internet is increasingly becoming a scene of social construction and that it is helpful in understanding the way social realities get constructed and reproduced today. According to Kelsey and Amant (2008), the Internet has created opportunities for individuals to engage in social interactions and that its use has now shifted to a means with which to create and maintain individual and group social relationships. (p. 478) Hence, the Internet was used as a primary tool to achieve the objectives of this study. SEXUAL ORIENTATION A clear definition of what “a sexual orientation” is and its origins has been insufficient in most research studies due mainly to a lack of empirical data on the research that is currently available on the topic. For example, from a psychoanalytical perspective, the factors contributing to a homosexual orientation reside in the unresolved nature of parental relationships which facilitate the identification with the same-sex progenitor. One of the most popular psychodynamic views involves the conception of a poor and hostile same-sex progenitor and the establishment of an over protected relationship with the opposite-sex progenitor. Generally speaking, sexual orientation is defined as a preponderance of sexual or erotic feelings, thoughts, fantasies and/or behaviors that are present from an early age, perhaps as early as conception (Savin-Williams, 1990). From this perspective, sexual orientation is considered to be a lifelong process instead of an event. Sexual orientation can also be understood as a physical and emotional preference. (Shively & DeCecco, 1977) This is seen in the context of the proposition that the development of sexual orientation is a process instead of an event. The physical preference can be seen as two independent continua of heterosexuality and homosexuality; for each individual there is a continuum for physical heterosexuality and for physical homosexuality. Qualitatively, individuals can be seen as heterosexuals, homosexuals or bisexuals; quantitatively, individuals can be considered heterosexual or homosexual. Emotional preference can also be considered as two independent continua from affective heterosexuality and affective homosexuality (Shively & DeCecco, 1977). This theory – sexual orientation as a physical and emotional preference - allows us a deeper approach when making observations of varied manners of sexual expression, but can also lead to the creation of certain conflicts between physical and emotional manifestations. However, these conflicts can be resolved at two different levels: behavior and fantasy. The behavioral level is often utilized to describe and identify sexual orientation, whereas the fantasy level is usually used in clinical settings and helps to clearly identify sexual orientation. A complete identification should include both parameters. Klein (1993) considers that when talking about sexual orientation one should take into consideration seven different dimensions: (1) sexual attraction, (2) sexual behavior, (3) sexual fantasies, (4) emotional preference, (5) social preference, (6) homosexual or heterosexual life-style, and (7) self-identification. All dimensions valorize past, present and ideal positions. Klein (1993) conceptualizes his work within the study of bisexuality, and tries to test the fact that sexual orientation is a multi-varied, and dynamic process, made of sexual and non-sexual variables, differentiated throughout a certain frame of time. This assumption involves the fact that people may modify their sexual orientation, in such terms that the label they utilize today may not necessarily be the same as yesterday’s or tomorrow’s. ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT Behavioral theories have conceptualized sexual orientation development associating it to specific instrumental learning behaviors, mainly during childhood and adolescence. Accordingly, Kinsey (1948) rejected the ideas that heterosexuality, bisexuality and homosexuality were innate and considered sexual orientation to be the result of significant learning experiences. Masters & Johnson (1979) also shared the idea that first same-sex positive experiences would determine a homosexual orientation. Bell et al. (1981) analyzed the family history of hundreds of homosexual and heterosexual men and women and concluded the following: (1) when boys and girls reach adolescence their sexual orientation is already determined even if they haven’t had any sexual contact with other people; (2) in the majority of cases homosexual feelings appeared three years prior to the first sexual encounter; (3) homosexual men and women showed no poor heterosexual relationships in their childhood; (4) identification with the father had no correlation to any type of sexual orientation; and (5) for homosexual men, the most important feature in the expression of their sexuality was the non acceptance of social sexual roles, whereas for homosexual women, the most important feature was the nature of family relationships. Other studies suggest that there is a strong correlation between the development of a certain sexual orientation and the presence (or not) of behaviors associated with social sexual roles. Green (1987) in his prospective investigation demonstrated that 75% to 80% of the boys studied who showed typically feminine behaviors could be considered homosexual or bisexual in their adolescence. Bailey & Zucker (1995) in their meta-analysis with 41 retrospective studies of this type concluded that both homosexual men and women had informed crossed gender behavior during childhood. Shively & DeCecco (1977) also proposed that the development of sexual orientation is also linked to the development of social sexual roles. From their perspective, the emotional aspect of the parent’s sexual orientation is easier to be observed than its physical aspects, which in turn, contribute to the faster development of emotional characteristics of sexual orientation in the child. Subsequently, conflict between the sexual orientation and other components of sexual identity can occur. The most common conflict occurs between the sexual orientation and the biological sex, since physical heterosexual orientation is socially associated to procreation. The child usually resolves this conflict by separating the two aspects. There seems to be a lack of studies regarding sexual orientation from a heterosexual perspective. At this point, we cannot disregard biological and genetic contributions to the explanation of sexual orientation. Yet, our focus is this matter is on the psychosocial variables influencing this process. Most likely there isn’t a single way of being heterosexual, bisexual or homosexual; there are however, several paths to develop this and several factors need to be taken into consideration. METHOD The objective of the present study is to measure sexual orientation of a large Internet sample. In line with the previous thesis that sexual orientation is dynamic and constantly changes, the study seeks to demonstrate the current trend of sexual orientation in the specified population. Also, it was our goal to determine psychometric properties of the instrument utilized in order to fill the gap verified in the literature regarding the measurement of sexual orientation. Participants The participants are composed of 1000 volunteers drawn from several Portuguese speaking Internet-based communities. All participants were from 14 to 72 years of age (M age = 30.5 years, SD = 10.23), and the majority of them were male (81.2% male; 18.2% female). Participants came from Portugal (45.4%), Brazil (49.6%), and other countries (5%). The distributions for economic status presented 16% low, 56.1% average, and 27.9% high. Meanwhile, 45.5% of all participants have college education. The majority of participants are single (59.8%), 7.8% are married (heterosexual marriage), 17.8% have a same-sex relationship, and 8.2% a legalized same-sex unions. Finally, 69.4% of all participants identified themselves as gay or lesbian, whereas 22.1% identified as bisexual. A significant 4.3% did not identify with any category of sexual identity and 3.7% identified as curious. Instrument The instrument used in the present study is the Klein Sexual Orientation Grid, which is a system to describe one’s sexual orientation in a detailed and informative manner. It was developed by Klein (1993) and involves the establishment of seven components of sexual orientation: sexual attraction, sexual behaviour, sexual fantasy, emotional preference, social preference, life style and self-identification. For each component, past, present and ideal measures are presented. The factorial structure of Klein’s Sexual Orientation Grid remained unknown (Weinrich, et al., 1993), although it was utilized to test the fact that sexual orientation is, in fact, a dynamic and multi-varied process, composed of sexual and non-sexual variables, differentiated throughout time. A Portuguese version of the Grid was put together after the author’s permission to do so was given. Procedures Participants were asked to collaborate through the Internet. The researchers sent e-mails via mailing lists, joined Internet-based communities and participated in Forums and Chat rooms of Portuguese speaking gay and lesbian groups, asking them to go to the address where the Portuguese version of the Klein’s Sexual Orientation Grid was available. This web site was built for the purpose of this study. The web site was visited by approximately 10000 Internet users, and 1000 completed the Grid successfully. RESULTS Reliability and Factor Analysis We examined the reliability of the Klein’s Sexual Orientation Grid. The variables explored included all 21 items of the Grid. Cronbach’s alpha for the overall scale was .94, suggesting excellent internal consistency of the items. Since a .92 KMO indicated a very good validity for the Factorial Analysis, this procedure was made using a principal components extraction. The results presented five principal factors, representing 78.60% of explained variance. After a Varimax rotation, the items were organized accordingly to temporal criteria (present/past/ideal) for dimensions of “sexual attraction”, “sexual behaviour”, “sexual fantasy”, “emotional preference”, and “self-identification”; and accordingly to a common criterion of “social preference” and “lifestyle”. These results are shown in table 1. DIMENSION ITEM (e loading) Eigenvalue % Explained Variance Cronbach’s  DIMENSION 1 (IDEAL) Item 3 – IDEAL Sexual attraction (0,83) 10.13 48.22 0.95 Item 6 – IDEAL Sexual behaviour (0,86) Item 9 – IDEAL Sexual fantasy (0,84) Item 12 – IDEAL Emotional preference (0,79) Item 21 – IDEAL Self-Identification (0,75) DIMENSION 2 (PAST) Item 2 – PAST Sexual attraction (0,85) 2.11 10.05 0.92 Item 5 – PAST Sexual behaviour (0,82) Item 8 – Past Sexual fantasy (0,78) Item 11 – PAST Emotional preference (0,76) Item 20 – PAST Self-Identification(0,74) DIMENSION3 (PRESENT) Item 1 – PRESENT Sexual attraction (0,78) 1.84 8.76 0.90 Item 4 – PRESENT Sexual behaviour (0,77) Item 7 – PRESENT Sexual Fantasy (0,76) Item 10 – PRESENT Emotional preference (0,69) Item 19 – PRESENT Self-Identification (0,48) DIMENSION 4 (SOCIAL PREFERENCE) Item 13 – PRESENT Social preference (0,86) 1.34 6.40 0.84 Item 14 – PAST Social preference (0,84) Item 15– IDEAL Social preference (0,77) DIMENSION 5 (LIFESTYLE) Item 16 – PRESENT lifestyle (0,81) 1.09 5.18 0.80 Item 17 – PAST lifestyle (0,73) Item 18 – IDEAL lifestyle (0,66) Table 1 – Final aggregation of principal components of the Klein’s Sexual Orientation Grid after Factor Analysis (KMO = 0.92), extraction method: principal components with Varimax rotation. Measures of sexual orientation From the frequencies analysis of the items of the Klein’s Sexual Orientation Grid (obtained from the mean scores of the items), we can observe that the majority of participants refers homoerotic exclusivity in all variables, except in variables of social preference and lifestyle. Yet, as we can see in table 2, important discrepancies when comparing frequencies between present, past and ideal moments were registered. ITEM MEAN MEDIAN MODE SD Item 1 – PRESENT sexual attraction 1.8 1 1 1.3 Item 2 – PAST sexual attraction 2.7 2 1 1.9 Item 3 – IDEAL sexual attraction 2.2 1 1 1.7 Item 4 – PRESENT sexual behavior 1.8 1 1 1.6 Item 5 – PAST sexual behavior 2.9 2 1 2.1 Item 6 – IDEAL sexual behavior 2.3 1 1 1.8 Item 7 – PRESENT sexual fantasy 1.7 1 1 1.3 Item 8 – PAST sexual fantasy 2.4 2 1 1.7 Item 9 – IDEAL sexual fantasy 2.2 1 1 1.7 Item 10 – PRESENT social preference 1.9 1 1 1.7 Item 11 – PAST social preference 2.8 2 1 2.0 Item 12 – IDEAL social preference 2.3 1 1 1.9 Item 13 – PRESENT emotional preference 3.4 4 4 1.5 Item 14 – PAST emotional preference 3.8 4 4 1.6 Item 15 – IDEAL emotional preference 3.4 4 4 1.4 Item 16 – PRESENT lifestyle 3.6 4 4 1.7 Item 17 – PAST lifestyle 4.4 4 4 1.8 Item 18 – IDEAL lifestyle 3.4 4 4 1.6 Item 19 – PRESENT self-identification 2.3 1 1 1.6 Item 20 – PAST self-identification 3.3 3 1 2.0 Item 21 – IDEAL self-identification 2.7 2 1 1.9 Table 2 – Frequency analysis for all items of the Klein’s Sexual Orientation Grid (1 represents exclusive homosexuality; 7 represents exclusive heterosexuality). These discrepancies between temporal dimension were all subject to a statistical assessment, and all variables tested significant when comparing present, past, and ideal moments (p = .05), using the MANOVA analysis. Figure 1 presents the mean scores for the dimension “sexual attraction” for present, past, and ideal moments. Differences between the three moments are statistically significant (Pillai’s Trace = 0.535; F (12,000; 1986,000) = 60,468; p Read More