Biological Psychology > Research Paper > What evidence supports the claim that sexual orientation is the product of biological factors? PSYC (All)

What evidence supports the claim that sexual orientation is the product of biological factors? PSYC 280 – Term Paper

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What evidence supports the claim that sexual orientation is the product of biological factors? PSYC 280 – Term Paper Section: C100 The topic of sexual orientation has been of much debate th... roughout history. It is a complex argument between the classical nature vs nurture question. Social theorists often claim that sexuality and sexual desire could be social constructs, not biological or genetically determined whereas biological psychologists often argue that sexual orientation can be determined by pointing at certain biological factors. Although this is a very tough question to answer much research has be conducted on this very topic and a lot of it was inherently inhumane and unethical. There were a lot of past attempts on banning and eradicating homosexuality and sodomy. One such attempt was, in the 1950s – 1980s in Britain where many people were administered to countless unproven treatments. The most common treatment was behavioural aversion therapy with electric shocks, Nausea induced by apomorphine as the aversive stimulus, Oestrogen treatment to reduce libido, psychoanalysis and religious counselling. Other forms included electroconvulsive therapy, desensitisation of an assumed phobia of the opposite sex, hypnosis, psychodrama, and abreaction. (Smith, Bartlett, King, 2004) Thus, taking into account all the controversy surrounding this debate, the purpose of this paper is not to undermine any school of thought but is to provide more evidence that points towards homosexuality and transgenderism not being a choice which can be ‘switched off’ but actually being a natural product of biological factors. Through the course of this paper, the different biological factors that affect sexual orientation are discussed along with evidence that points towards prenatal and neonatal influences by gonadal steroid exposure like Testosterone and Progesterone and how they play a key factor in determining sexual orientation. Furthermore, the future possibilities for additional research topics have also been acknowledged and discussed. Thus, this paper argues that prenatal endocrine factors are the major determinants of sexual orientation in humans. [Show More]

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