Sexual Identity (sexual + identity)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Expressing the Not-Said: Art and Design and the Formation of Sexual Identities

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ART & DESIGN EDUCATION, Issue 1 2005
Nicholas Addison
Central to this paper is an analysis of the work produced by a year 10 student in response to the ,Expressive Study' of the art and design GCSE (AQA 2001). I begin by examining expressivism within art education and turn to the student's work partly to understand whether the semi-confessional mode she chose to deploy is encouraged within this tradition. The tenets of expressivism presuppose the possibility that through the practice of art young people might develop the expressive means to give ,voice' to their feelings and come to some understanding of self. I therefore look at the way she took ownership of the ,expressive' imperative of the title by choosing to explore her emerging lesbian identity and its position within the normative, binary discourses on sex and sexual identity that predominate in secondary schools. Within schooling there is an absence of formal discussion around sex, sexual identity and sexuality other than in the context of health and moral education and, to some extent, English. This is surprising given the emphasis on self-exploration that an art and design expressive study would seem to invite. In order to consider the student's actions as a situated practice I examine the social and cultural contexts in which she was studying. With reference to visual semiotics and the theoretical work of Judith Butler, I interpret the way she uses visual resources not only to represent her emerging sexual identity but to counter dominant discourses around homosexuality in schools. I claim that through her art practice she enacts the ,name of the law' to refute the binary oppositions that underpin sex education in schools. This act questions the assumptions about the purpose of expressive activities in art education with its psychologically inflected rhetoric of growth and selfhood and offers a mode of expressive practice that is more socially engaged and communicative. [source]


Detection of the Sexual Identity of Conspecifics through Volatile Chemical Signals in a Territorial Salamander

ETHOLOGY, Issue 3 2007
Benjamin J. Dantzer
Territorial red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) have been shown to use nonvolatile chemical signals in both territorial defense and to convey a variety of information to conspecifics. We investigated whether or not red-backed salamanders could determine the sexual identity of conspecifics through volatile chemical signals, and we explored their use in the context of territorial defense. We exposed male and female red-backed salamanders to four experimental treatments (i.e. filter papers that had been scent marked by male or female conspecifics for 1 and 5 d) and two control treatments (i.e. unscented filter papers for 1 and 5 d tests). The focal salamanders were prevented from physically accessing the scent marked filter papers and, presumably, some of the substrate scent marks had volatile components that were detected and interpreted by the focal salamanders. Both male and female red-backed salamanders spent significantly more time in threat displays when they were exposed to volatile chemical signals from same-sex conspecifics than they did toward similar signals from opposite-sex conspecifics. A similar statistical pattern was observed for the amount of chemosensory sampling exhibited by focal red-backed salamanders. From these results, we infer that red-backed salamanders can determine the sexual identity of conspecifics through volatile chemical signals, some of which may be used in territorial defense. Further, such airborne pheromones may influence the spatial organization of salamander territories on the forest floor. [source]


Gay Organizations, NGOs, and the Globalization of Sexual Identity: The Case of Bolivia

JOURNAL OF LATIN AMERICAN & CARIBBEAN ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 2 2000
Timothy Wright
This paper combines an ethnography of sexual activities, personal identities and social relations of men-who-have-sex-with-men in Bolivia with an analysis of attempts by government and international development agencies to create a demographically identifiable population of "gay" Bolivians. A first person account of attempts to establish gay identity through a gay community center in Santa Cruz reveals failure to attract all but a select group of the broadly diverse actors potentially involved. In short, men-who-have-sex-with-men who were too rich or too poor or too masculine or too effeminate were unlikely to be attracted to the gay center or welcomed as members of the emerging "gay community." [source]


Social and Psychological Weil-Being in Lesbians, Gay Men, and Bisexuals: The Effects of Race, Gender, Age, and Sexual Identity

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 4 2009
Robert M. Kertzner MD
Using a social stress perspective, the authors studied the mental health effects of added burden related to socially disadvantaged status (being African American or Latino, female, young, and identifying as bisexual vs. gay or lesbian) in a community sample of 396 self-identified lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adults. Mental health outcomes were social and psychological well-being contrasted with depressive symptoms. When mental health deficiencies by disadvantaged social status were detected, the authors examined whether LGB community connectedness and positive sexual identity valence played a mediating role, reducing the social status disparity in outcome. The authors found different patterns when looking at social versus psychological well-being and positive versus negative mental health outcomes. Bisexuality and young age, but not gender and racial/ethnic minority status, were associated with decreased social well-being. In bisexuals, this relationship was mediated by community connectedness and sexual identity valence. Although no differences in social or psychological well-being were found by gender, female gender was associated with depressed mood. The authors conclude that there is limited support for an additive stress model. [source]


A Psychoeducational Group for Men with Intellectual Disabilities Who Have Sex with Men

JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, Issue 4 2001
Paul Withers
The sexuality and sexual behaviour of people with intellectual disabilities (IDs) is one of the most complex and unresolved issues faced by service providers. Despite much evidence suggesting the disproportionately high risks faced by men with IDs who have sex with men, no epidemiological research has been conducted on the prevalence of HIV within this population. Current thinking suggests that self-help groups are efficacious in helping participants to develop positive sexual identities and to share information about safer sexual practices. The present study is a qualitative evaluation of a pilot support group for men with IDs who have sex with men. Themes relating to the formation of sexual identity and safety issues were extrapolated using content analysis from a transcript of the final group session. The implications for service delivery are discussed. The evaluation was conducted by a clinical psychologist external to the group and the members of the group. [source]


A PSYCHODYNAMIC PROFILE OF THERAPISTS WHO SEXUALLY EXPLOIT THEIR CLIENTS

BRITISH JOURNAL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY, Issue 3 2000
Angela Hetherington
ABSTRACT This paper reviews recent literature pertaining to therapists who sexually exploit their clients. It examines some of the common characteristics that have been identified in therapists who abuse, and the psychosexual factors in their background. It goes on to discuss the dynamics which may prevail in the event of therapist abuse. Research suggests that therapists who exploit their role will only do so if they are in some way dysfunctional (Russell 1993). Similarly, therapists who abuse are found to have severe problems with their own sexual identities and experience a considerable amount of sexual anxiety and guilt in their personal relationships (Strean 1993b). It is suggested that their own unresolved conflicts take precedence over those of their clients and unconsciously they harbour a deep antipathy towards the practice of psychotherapy (Strean 1993a). [source]


Detection of the Sexual Identity of Conspecifics through Volatile Chemical Signals in a Territorial Salamander

ETHOLOGY, Issue 3 2007
Benjamin J. Dantzer
Territorial red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) have been shown to use nonvolatile chemical signals in both territorial defense and to convey a variety of information to conspecifics. We investigated whether or not red-backed salamanders could determine the sexual identity of conspecifics through volatile chemical signals, and we explored their use in the context of territorial defense. We exposed male and female red-backed salamanders to four experimental treatments (i.e. filter papers that had been scent marked by male or female conspecifics for 1 and 5 d) and two control treatments (i.e. unscented filter papers for 1 and 5 d tests). The focal salamanders were prevented from physically accessing the scent marked filter papers and, presumably, some of the substrate scent marks had volatile components that were detected and interpreted by the focal salamanders. Both male and female red-backed salamanders spent significantly more time in threat displays when they were exposed to volatile chemical signals from same-sex conspecifics than they did toward similar signals from opposite-sex conspecifics. A similar statistical pattern was observed for the amount of chemosensory sampling exhibited by focal red-backed salamanders. From these results, we infer that red-backed salamanders can determine the sexual identity of conspecifics through volatile chemical signals, some of which may be used in territorial defense. Further, such airborne pheromones may influence the spatial organization of salamander territories on the forest floor. [source]


Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people's experiences of distress: resilience, ambivalence and self-destructive behaviour

HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 3 2008
Jonathan Scourfield BA MA DipSW PhD
Abstract The research presented in this paper set out to explore the cultural context of youth suicide and more specifically any connections between sexual identity and self-destructive behaviour, in the light of international evidence about the disproportionate risk of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) young people. The empirical basis for the paper is qualitative research that was carried out in the North West of England and South Wales. Focus groups and interviews were conducted with a total of 69 young people, with a purposive sample to reflect diversity of sexual identity, social class and regional and rural-urban location. The paper presents a thematic analysis of the data specifically relating to the experiences of LGBT young people. A range of strategies that LGBT young people employ in the face of distress are described. These are categorised as resilience, ambivalence and self-destructive behaviour (including self-harm and suicide). The potential implications for health and social care of these strategies include the need for ecological approaches and for sexual cultural competence in practitioners, as well as prioritisation of LGBT risk within suicide prevention policies. [source]


Expressing the Not-Said: Art and Design and the Formation of Sexual Identities

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ART & DESIGN EDUCATION, Issue 1 2005
Nicholas Addison
Central to this paper is an analysis of the work produced by a year 10 student in response to the ,Expressive Study' of the art and design GCSE (AQA 2001). I begin by examining expressivism within art education and turn to the student's work partly to understand whether the semi-confessional mode she chose to deploy is encouraged within this tradition. The tenets of expressivism presuppose the possibility that through the practice of art young people might develop the expressive means to give ,voice' to their feelings and come to some understanding of self. I therefore look at the way she took ownership of the ,expressive' imperative of the title by choosing to explore her emerging lesbian identity and its position within the normative, binary discourses on sex and sexual identity that predominate in secondary schools. Within schooling there is an absence of formal discussion around sex, sexual identity and sexuality other than in the context of health and moral education and, to some extent, English. This is surprising given the emphasis on self-exploration that an art and design expressive study would seem to invite. In order to consider the student's actions as a situated practice I examine the social and cultural contexts in which she was studying. With reference to visual semiotics and the theoretical work of Judith Butler, I interpret the way she uses visual resources not only to represent her emerging sexual identity but to counter dominant discourses around homosexuality in schools. I claim that through her art practice she enacts the ,name of the law' to refute the binary oppositions that underpin sex education in schools. This act questions the assumptions about the purpose of expressive activities in art education with its psychologically inflected rhetoric of growth and selfhood and offers a mode of expressive practice that is more socially engaged and communicative. [source]


A Psychoeducational Group for Men with Intellectual Disabilities Who Have Sex with Men

JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, Issue 4 2001
Paul Withers
The sexuality and sexual behaviour of people with intellectual disabilities (IDs) is one of the most complex and unresolved issues faced by service providers. Despite much evidence suggesting the disproportionately high risks faced by men with IDs who have sex with men, no epidemiological research has been conducted on the prevalence of HIV within this population. Current thinking suggests that self-help groups are efficacious in helping participants to develop positive sexual identities and to share information about safer sexual practices. The present study is a qualitative evaluation of a pilot support group for men with IDs who have sex with men. Themes relating to the formation of sexual identity and safety issues were extrapolated using content analysis from a transcript of the final group session. The implications for service delivery are discussed. The evaluation was conducted by a clinical psychologist external to the group and the members of the group. [source]


Language and sexuality in Spanish and English dating chats1

JOURNAL OF SOCIOLINGUISTICS, Issue 4 2006
Marisol Del-Teso-Craviotto
Three half-hour conversations each from five English and four Spanish dating chat rooms were analyzed following conversation analytic methodologies. Participants in the chats often engaged in playful and humorous erotic conversations, using a set of interactionally negotiated conventions about chatting that constitute a play frame, characterized linguistically by graphemic representations of laughter, appropriations, reproduction of a humorous pronunciation, and interactions through alter personae. Such playfulness enhances participants' pleasure while allowing them to maintain critical distance, and balances the constraints of public interaction with the pursuit of private erotic pleasures. This study contributes to our understanding of the social and discursive dimension of sexuality, going beyond issues of sexual identity and focusing on the conversational negotiation of eroticism and desire. [source]


Stepchildren of nature: Krafft-Ebing, psychiatry, and the making of sexual identity

JOURNAL OF THE HISTORY OF THE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES, Issue 1 2002
Henry L. Minton professor emeritus of psychology
No abstract is available for this article. [source]


Defiant desire in Namibia: Female sexual,gender transgression and the making of political being

AMERICAN ETHNOLOGIST, Issue 1 2008
ROBERT LORWAY
ABSTRACT In this article, I explore local productions of desire in Namibia by focusing on the engagement of young, working-class lesbians with human rights ideologies of sexual freedom. I discuss how various techniques deployed by a sexual minority-rights NGO allow youth to amplify and legitimize their embodied sense of sexual,gender difference. In my analysis of their self-mediated incitement, I regard desire as a moral practice; practices of self-determination and acts of resistance are generated and authenticated through repeated reflection on the internality of desire. My elaborations also emphasize class-related issues. I argue that struggles with class and gender inequality destabilize the very notion of "sexual identity" in ways that open up political and erotic possibilities between lesbians and other working-class women in Namibia, blurring the dividing lines of identity politics and of gender and class politics. [lesbian resistance, African sexuality, moral practice, desire, global queer identity, human rights] [source]


THE WEBSITE,GIRL': CONTEMPORARY THEORIES ABOUT MALE,FEMININITY'

BRITISH JOURNAL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY, Issue 1 2005
Marie Maguire
ABSTRACT I explore a bisexual male patient's need to differentiate highly problematic,feminine'identifications - originating in childhood sexual abuse and impingement by men as well as women - from identifications with more admired aspects of his mother. My main focus is on the patient's sexual identity - the personal meaning he gave to being male - rather than on his bisexuality - his desire for both sexes. In psychoanalytic literature powerful opposite-sex identifications are usually associated either with psychotic confusion or celebrated as a source of psychic strength. The co-existence of problematic and highly valued cross-sex identifications is rarely discussed. I also look at how this patient re-negotiated his identity through the transference relationship with a female psychotherapist, given that his,masculinity'derived mainly from childhood experiences of 'stealing'his mother's phallic power. Through a wideranging theoretical review I conclude that we need to draw together opposing psychoanalytic perspectives about maternal and paternal power, opening up new ways of thinking about triangular relationships in the transference. [source]