INFERNO
March 17th, 2009, 07:17 PM
I've read and seen many threads where the poster wants to know if they're gay, straight or some other orientation. Hopefully, this can clear some things up pretty well.
The first, is the Kinsey Scale. http://www.kinseyinstitute.org/resources/ak-hhscale.html
Through various studies, this scale, shown above, was produced. The effects of this are two-fold. First, it shows there is a continuum from homosexuality to bisexuality to heterosexuality. That is, you can have the classic, "I like guys more but like girls also", yet not be bisexual. Second, it helps people know what their orientation may be and reduces stigmatization and false ideas. It is rather simple to read, you look at it and you see roughly where you would fit. It reduces the false ideas in that it differentiates bisexuality from homo and heterosexuality, so it's not simply 3 categories, it's a continuum, as I've already mentioned.
So, when you look at this diagram, it doesn't necessarily mean that where you fit in is set in stone. It shows, at this present time, what your orientation is.
When going to consider your orientation, like many things in psychology and other fields of medicine and science, you should go for a multi-dimensional approach. That is, you can use this scale as a guide but there are other factors to consider.
The first factor, one which seems to be a bit confusing and misinterpreted, is what is meant by people saying they "like" or they "love" someone? This scale and definitions of orientation assume you love the person, that is, it's not a little friendship, it's an initmate relationship based not only on physical appearance. When you're walking down a street, and you see some hot girl or guy, is it love or is it liking them? It's liking them physically. Love generally takes a while to build.
However, because we mostly are teenagers, we may have not yet experienced love or "true love". We may simply experience liking a person, whether it be physically or emotionally-based. In that case, it can still be applied to the scale, however, this brings to the next point.
Don't self-diagnose. This doesn't mean that sexual orientation, regardless of orientation is a disorder, but rather, don't look at the scale, see where you fit then constantly make yourself believe you're that orientation.
Regarding what I said before about multi-dimensional approaches, for sexual orientation, one key thing to consider is your age. With age, comes puberty and stages of puberty. Consider what stage you may be at, and if hormones are raging around, it can affect your behavior, and thus, affect where you fit on the scale. Perhaps the scale may not be very accurate in that sense.
Although this may seem a bit contradictory, labelling your orientation doesn't matter. It's a label, it doesn't matter what you call it, what matters is how it affects you and others around you. So, if you're curious and you cant figure out from the scale where you are, that's fine. There's some orientations such as "bi-curious". You're experimenting, so will that be accurately reflected on the scale? Of course not.
Why did I post the scale and harp on about it? Because it has evidence, many people accept it and it's easy to read. There's no need to analyze your behavior through some questionnaire or to talk with someone. It's a guideline and nothing more.
Lastly, there's a huge issue with stigmatization about sexual orientation. Although the scale doesn't exactly address this, I will. If you are being bullied for your orientation, either tell an adult but it shouldn't make you feel ashamed. The scale deals with stigmatization in a rather basic approach: it ignores it. There are no questions to fill out, nobody to talk to. It can even reduce stigmatization or confusion by showing orientation on a continuum.
This post and thread isn't really meant to be about the stigmatization, however, if you are being bullied, don't let it continue.
So, to recap: it's a guideline, use a multi-dimensional approach, consider what stage of puberty you're in. Is the scale always accurate? No. Is it always wrong? No.
This is simply a quick way for those who are wondering, or want a very basic idea of their orientation, to have a way to do so. But remember, multi-dimensions.
The first, is the Kinsey Scale. http://www.kinseyinstitute.org/resources/ak-hhscale.html
Through various studies, this scale, shown above, was produced. The effects of this are two-fold. First, it shows there is a continuum from homosexuality to bisexuality to heterosexuality. That is, you can have the classic, "I like guys more but like girls also", yet not be bisexual. Second, it helps people know what their orientation may be and reduces stigmatization and false ideas. It is rather simple to read, you look at it and you see roughly where you would fit. It reduces the false ideas in that it differentiates bisexuality from homo and heterosexuality, so it's not simply 3 categories, it's a continuum, as I've already mentioned.
So, when you look at this diagram, it doesn't necessarily mean that where you fit in is set in stone. It shows, at this present time, what your orientation is.
When going to consider your orientation, like many things in psychology and other fields of medicine and science, you should go for a multi-dimensional approach. That is, you can use this scale as a guide but there are other factors to consider.
The first factor, one which seems to be a bit confusing and misinterpreted, is what is meant by people saying they "like" or they "love" someone? This scale and definitions of orientation assume you love the person, that is, it's not a little friendship, it's an initmate relationship based not only on physical appearance. When you're walking down a street, and you see some hot girl or guy, is it love or is it liking them? It's liking them physically. Love generally takes a while to build.
However, because we mostly are teenagers, we may have not yet experienced love or "true love". We may simply experience liking a person, whether it be physically or emotionally-based. In that case, it can still be applied to the scale, however, this brings to the next point.
Don't self-diagnose. This doesn't mean that sexual orientation, regardless of orientation is a disorder, but rather, don't look at the scale, see where you fit then constantly make yourself believe you're that orientation.
Regarding what I said before about multi-dimensional approaches, for sexual orientation, one key thing to consider is your age. With age, comes puberty and stages of puberty. Consider what stage you may be at, and if hormones are raging around, it can affect your behavior, and thus, affect where you fit on the scale. Perhaps the scale may not be very accurate in that sense.
Although this may seem a bit contradictory, labelling your orientation doesn't matter. It's a label, it doesn't matter what you call it, what matters is how it affects you and others around you. So, if you're curious and you cant figure out from the scale where you are, that's fine. There's some orientations such as "bi-curious". You're experimenting, so will that be accurately reflected on the scale? Of course not.
Why did I post the scale and harp on about it? Because it has evidence, many people accept it and it's easy to read. There's no need to analyze your behavior through some questionnaire or to talk with someone. It's a guideline and nothing more.
Lastly, there's a huge issue with stigmatization about sexual orientation. Although the scale doesn't exactly address this, I will. If you are being bullied for your orientation, either tell an adult but it shouldn't make you feel ashamed. The scale deals with stigmatization in a rather basic approach: it ignores it. There are no questions to fill out, nobody to talk to. It can even reduce stigmatization or confusion by showing orientation on a continuum.
This post and thread isn't really meant to be about the stigmatization, however, if you are being bullied, don't let it continue.
So, to recap: it's a guideline, use a multi-dimensional approach, consider what stage of puberty you're in. Is the scale always accurate? No. Is it always wrong? No.
This is simply a quick way for those who are wondering, or want a very basic idea of their orientation, to have a way to do so. But remember, multi-dimensions.