Sexuality is part of the development and life of the human being, it is a normal, healthy and natural sphere that is transformed throughout the evolutionary development of a person. Human sexuality not only includes sexual behavior but also gender, the human body and its functioning, values, attitudes, emotional relationships with others, among other factors.
Next, in Psychology-Online, this diverse topic will be expanded on types of human sexuality present until today.
What is sex and what is sexuality
Sex refers to the anatomical and biological part with which the human being is born, being male or female according to the genital organs with which he is born. For its part, Sexuality includes sexual behavior, sexual relationships or activity, intimacy, and how a person chooses to express themselves as a man or woman, both or neither, that is, the way they speak, express themselves and interpersonal relationships.
Another term used in sexuality is sexual orientation, which refers to when a person chooses their preference or pattern of sexual, erotic and loving attraction towards a certain group of people defined by their sex. It is important to highlight that sexual orientation is totally independent of sexual identitySexual orientation in short is what group of people a person is attracted to, being sexual, emotional, romantic and psychological, which is maintained over time.
In this article, we are going to talk about how many forms of sexuality there are and their characteristics. Currently, they are known 10 types of sexual orientationwhich are defined below.
Heterosexual
Heterosexuality refers to sexual attraction and sexual behavior between people of different sexes, being a man and a woman. As part of sexual orientation, heterosexuality is an enduring pattern in emotional or erotic relationships with individuals of the opposite sex. As social beings, human beings belong to social belonging groups based on attractions and behavior, which is why heterosexuality is based on fully heterosexual behaviors. It is observable that some mammals maintain markedly manifest their sexual attraction with other mammals of different sex.
heterosexuality It is the most recognized and socially accepted by Western culturesince it complies with traditional religious and social mandates, strongly justified by conservative sectors for human reproduction.
Homosexuality
Homosexuality refers to physical, romantic attraction and sexual behavior towards people of the same sex. As part of a sexual orientation, homosexuality is a lasting pattern of liking and emotional attraction, and the behavior is related to a specific community that shares the same liking of attraction to people of the same sex and gender.
A homosexual man is known colloquially by the term gay, while in the case of women they are known as lesbians. It is difficult to know the percentage of the homosexual population, as well as those people who have had a homosexual experience and wish to openly express their sexual orientation. This silence is due to the irrational fear that some people and culture show towards homosexuality. This irrational fear or contempt for people who maintain a sexual orientation towards the same sex is known as .
On the other hand, science argues that this sexual orientation is determined by biological, environmental and emotional models that are determined at an early age, even before puberty. In the following article, we resolve the question: .
Bisexuality
People who maintain a bisexual sexual orientation are those who feel attracted on a physical, sexual and emotional level to people of any sex. For some people who maintain this orientation, the degree and way in which they feel attracted to people of different sexes can change throughout their lives, so they are not constant in terms of their preference for the male or female gender.
Its colloquial term is “bi” and its expression by others based on irrational fear or rejection towards people with a bisexual sexual orientation is known as and is one of the fundamental causes of physical and psychological violence and discrimination experienced by bisexual people. . In this article we talk about.
Transsexuality
Transsexuality refers to those people who feel they were born in the wrong biological body and emotionally express feeling that they do not belong to the sex they have.
For the “International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems ICD-10 (cited by Aznar, J. 2016), transsexuality can be defined as “the desire to live and be accepted as a member of the opposite sex, which usually goes accompanied by a feeling of disagreement with the anatomical sex that one has and consequently with the desire to receive hormonal or surgical treatment so that one’s body is in accordance with the sex preferred by each one.”
On the other hand, the irrational fear or contempt towards the lack of acceptance or discomfort towards transsexual people is called , whose gender expression does not conform to the gender roles established in society.
Asexuality
It refers to those people who do not show sexual or romantic attraction to either of the two biological sexes, in other words, these people They do not maintain a life or sexual behavior with others as well as a sexual orientation. Although human beings live in a very sexual society, being asexual does not imply a disease, illness or mental disorder.
It is important to highlight the difference between asexuality and erotophobia and that the latter refers to the irrational and specific fear of maintaining sexual contact. Fear is based on maintaining sexual behavior with another person, in which symptoms and signs that cause discomfort occur, unlike asexuality, which does not have a connotation of emotional and psychological discomfort.
Pansexuality
For its part, sexuality, another type of sexuality, is the physical and emotional attraction for those people without taking into consideration or being less important their sexual orientation, identity or physical appearance. It’s other terms They are attracted to human beings and their personality without discriminating in physical, sexual, gender or sexual orientation and identity.being able to establish an emotional and sexual relationship with heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual or transsexual people.
Antrosexuality
Antrosexuality has a conceptualization similar to pansexuality where there is a physical, sexual and romantic attraction towards any type of person regardless of whether they are heterosexual, bisexual, homosexual or transsexualThe difference between antrosexual people is that they do not know what their sexual orientation is.
Demisexuality
The next type of sexuality that we are going to describe is . They are those people who They develop a sexual attraction if there is previously an emotional and affective attraction with the other person. It not only has to refer to a romantic or romantic relationship, but can also occur thanks to a friendship, a strong emotional bond and intimacy.
Sapiosexuality
People with show an interest and a physical, romantic and emotional attraction for those people, whether men or women, who show great intellectual capacity. This interest arises from the fact that intelligence is considered to be a main factor when establishing an emotional and sexual relationship, being more common in women than in men.
Graysexuality
They are those people who find themselves in an extreme situation between sexuality and asexuality, That is, they can spend long periods without maintaining sexual activity and contact, but if they have sexual desire they can carry out sexual behavior. It can occur between men and women. In this article, we explain more about the .
Due to the diversity in terms of sexual orientation that a man or woman may present, there is rejection in various groups towards these people who show a different sexual orientation. In some it may be just rejection, in others this rejection can become a phobia. Regardless of which group of thought you belong to, it is recommended that if this dogma causes your own discomfort or induces psychological or emotional discomfort for others, you receive professional help from mental health specialists.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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Bibliography
- Aznar, J. (06/28/2016). Bioethics Observatory. Recovered from: https://www.observatoriobioetica.org/2016/06/causas-de-la-transexualidad-no-hay-gen-de-transexualidad/14484