dostęp otwarty
Asexuality — an attempt to critically review the concept of a fourth sexual orientation
Afiliacje- Faculty of Psychology, Pedagogy, and Humanities, Department of Health Psychology, Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University, Krakow, Poland
dostęp otwarty
Streszczenie
Asexuality, as a research phenomenon, was shed light on in 2004 thanks to a study by Anthony Bogaert. The results of the survey, carried out as part of it, showed that about 1% of people in the population have never felt sexually attracted to anyone. However, asexual persons declare that they do not feel in any way deficient or disturbed because of that. On the contrary, they fully accept this situation and treat their lack of sexual attraction as an integral part of their Self. This would suggest the possibility of treating asexuality as a new sexual orientation, but such an idea is highly controversial and is the subject of intense discussion — both among researchers, and in the public discourse. This article analyzes the issue of asexual orientation based on reports from relevant publications. At the outset, the origins of perceiving asexuality as a sexual orientation are indicated, as well as a review of the arguments for and against the concept. The following part of the paper presents a deeper reflection on the current definition of sexual orientation, and thus the possibility of adding a new — asexual — form of it. The article concludes with a consideration of the concept of asexual identity, which, according to researchers, is a more accurate term in the context of asexuality, as it emphasizes the subjectivity of the individual.
Streszczenie
Asexuality, as a research phenomenon, was shed light on in 2004 thanks to a study by Anthony Bogaert. The results of the survey, carried out as part of it, showed that about 1% of people in the population have never felt sexually attracted to anyone. However, asexual persons declare that they do not feel in any way deficient or disturbed because of that. On the contrary, they fully accept this situation and treat their lack of sexual attraction as an integral part of their Self. This would suggest the possibility of treating asexuality as a new sexual orientation, but such an idea is highly controversial and is the subject of intense discussion — both among researchers, and in the public discourse. This article analyzes the issue of asexual orientation based on reports from relevant publications. At the outset, the origins of perceiving asexuality as a sexual orientation are indicated, as well as a review of the arguments for and against the concept. The following part of the paper presents a deeper reflection on the current definition of sexual orientation, and thus the possibility of adding a new — asexual — form of it. The article concludes with a consideration of the concept of asexual identity, which, according to researchers, is a more accurate term in the context of asexuality, as it emphasizes the subjectivity of the individual.
Słowa kluczowe
asexuality; sexual orientation; sexual identity
Informacje o artykuleTytuł
Asexuality — an attempt to critically review the concept of a fourth sexual orientation
Czasopismo
Journal of Sexual and Mental Health
Numer
Tom 21 (2023): Continuous Publishing
Typ artykułu
Artykuł przeglądowy
Strony
21-27
Opublikowany online
2023-09-25
Wyświetlenia strony
325
Wyświetlenia/pobrania artykułu
258
DOI
Rekord bibliograficzny
Journal of Sexual and Mental Health 2023;21:21-27.
Słowa kluczowe
asexuality
sexual orientation
sexual identity
Autorzy
Anna Strzelczak
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