Interview Questions Senior Project

*Please respond honestly and thoughtfully. 1) How, in your opinion, can people be attracted to both sexes and be a self-proclaimed bisexual? Research and contemporary views of psychology support that sexuality and sexual orientation lie on a continuum and are not binary (NOT: one or the other, on or off, yes or no) as previously believed. Several decades of research support the hypothesis that there is a range of sexual orientations that may or may not be correlated with ones internal experience of attraction, history of behavior, or biological sex. Human behavior and psychology is inherently complex and multiply determined and influenced. Viewed in this light, bisexuality is an obvious and expected expression of human nature. To state it more simply, someone can be attracted to both sexes in the same way you might enjoy both chocolate and vanilla ice cream. 2) What makes bisexuals biologically different than any other orientation? Simply stated, nothing. To my knowledge there has been no research supporting a biological difference between various sexual orientations, including identifying as bisexual. Some research has found differences in physical brain structure or genotype, but we are uncertain of the relationship or cause. At best there have been attempts to correlate particular biological differences with sexual orientation, but there have been few if any conclusions and causation has never been demonstrated. 3) How much does nature vs. nurture come into play regarding sexual orientation? What do you think has had more impact on your own sexuality: nature or nurture? The question of nature versus nurture has been a primary debate in the fields of psychology of science for many years. The debate is ongoing, and to assert a specific conclusion would feel overly simplistic and premature. A thorough discussion of nature versus nurture of biology versus environment is far beyond the scope of this questionnaire, and could easily comprise the content of a 15-week graduate course. Of current general agreement is the fact that both nature and nurture play significant roles in almost all aspects of human behavior. I believe the impact of nature and nurture on ones stated sexual orientation likely varies from individual to individual, where some people may be born bisexual(nature) while others believe they exercise more choice (nurture). For me personally I could not begin to distinguish between the impact of my genetics and biology/genetics and my family, culture, religion, spirituality, community, educational system, etc. 4) Is everyone innately bisexual? Why or why not? As stated above in response one, I strongly believe that sexual orientation falls on a continuum. In this way one could argue no one is completely heterosexual or bisexual, straight or gay. Does this mean that everyone will exercise the freedom of same- and opposite- sex attraction? No. Does this mean that most or all of us have the potential for a range of sexual attraction? Yes. Your question is further complicated in the definition for bisexuality; there are researchers that assert a wide range of definitions of bisexuality. Is bisexual defined by desire/attraction? Is bisexuality defined by past behavior and sexual acts? If one engages in any bisexual behavior is one bisexual for life? Can bisexuality be situational? In order to answer this question, further understanding of your intended meaning of bisexual is needed. However, to answer the question directly, I would conclude that yes, everyone has the potential for bisexuality.

5) Do you think gender roles impact sexual orientation? A common misconception is that biological sex (female, male, or intersex), gender identity (I feel male/masculine, I feel female/feminine, I feel transgendered/gender queer), gender expression (I like to do female things, I like to do male things), gender role, sexual orientation, etc. are synonymous. In fact I believe these are all separate and distinct tracks of development that may or may not align in the traditional or most common way. In the traditional sense one would expect a child to be born biologically female, identified as being female, embraced a female gender role, and to be sexually attracted to a male (and vice versa for a biological male). We know, however, that each of these aspects of identity, development, and biology can and do align in a wide range of configurations. Undoubtedly there is interplay between them, so yes, gender role is related to sexual orientation but this relationship is not as linear, predictable, or causal as once assumed. 6) Do you think people can honestly change their sexual orientation? No. While researchers once believed that sexual orientation could be altered using methods called conversion therapy, or aversion therapy, these methods are now widely discredited and considered unethical. The American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, as well as other professional organizations, have all made public statements indicating that sexual or invitation is fixed and unchanging. At the same time it may be important to know that sexuality can be fluid across the lifespan. 7) What, in your opinion, is the difference between bisexuality and pansexuality? Individuals identified as bisexual typically acknowledge physical, sexual, romantic love, and emotional attraction to both men and women. Individuals identified as pansexual typically stress the significance of falling in love with the person regardless of their gender. Pansexuals often express a disregard for the gender but fall in love with the person they often reject the gender binary and may also foster relationships with individuals who are biologically intersex or identify as gender queer. Individuals who identify as pansexual often describe being gender blind and falling in love with the soul or being of a person rather than their body. In practice and behavior both bisexual and pansexual individuals may be similar or even indistinguishable in observation, but the internal experience may be quiet different. 8) Why do you think people believe bisexuality is just a phase? I would assert that this way of thinking is gradually changing over time, through increased knowledge and awareness of bisexuality. As discussed in response four above, there are theories of bisexuality that discuss the transient or situational nature of sexual orientation. The vast majority of individuals I have encountered who identifies bisexual feel their bisexuality is an innate part of there being which is permanent and unchangeable. At the same time one might label the same-sex sexual contact between inmates as bisexual behavior even among individuals who identify as heterosexual. Often, in the process of coming out or developing an understanding of oneself individuals may transiently identify as bisexual before ultimately concluding or settling into a more fixed identity. Similarly statements have been made about the sexual experimentation and exploration of many young people that may appear to be a phase as one explores their own identity. Its important to acknowledge, however, that what might be a phase or experimentation to one individual may be a deeply held and long-term identity to another. It seems that because individuals have witnessed exploration or experimentation they may have mistakenly concluded that all bisexuality is just a phase. Unfortunately many

members of the bisexual community have been further marginalized by a belief that they have simply yet to realize their final identity. More generally we live in a society which functions on categorization: Male versus female, straight versus gay, Black versus white. Individuals often struggle with ambiguity, and often mistakenly labeled someone as straight because theyre dating someone of the opposite sex currently, or as gay because theyre dating someone of the same sex, without regard to the individuals internal experience. 9) Do you think bisexuality is taboo because its so common or is it common because its taboo? I think the open acknowledgment of bisexuality is still reluctantly uncommon or perhaps taboo. Because opposite sex attraction is still the most common from a statistical standpoint (there are more opposite sex couples then same-sex couples or bisexually identified individuals) it is still seen as different. I think that most individuals would still find it difficult to knowledge their own bisexuality, however small a part of them. In this way bisexuality is still viewed as different or strange, and therefore something to be thought of as forbidden or prohibited. Even so, it seems that in western societies bisexuality is becoming increasingly common and accepted, however, it is still a highly marginalized group. 10) Do you think bisexuals are more stable emotionally and/or psychologically? Why or why not? There is no research to my knowledge substantiating any difference in maturity, psychopathology, mental health, or emotional well being across all sexual orientations. Unfortunately due to marginalization and stigma many individuals of marginalize communities experienced disproportionately high rates of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and suicidality (to name only a few). I have heard discussions of individuals with them if I was bisexual being more evolved because of their ability to love both sexes however I know of no clinical research supporting such statements. Research has demonstrated, however, that the disproportionate rates of some mental disorders are due to the challenges the communities face (bigotry, hatred, violence, marginalization, etc.) rather than a predisposed tendency towards higher rates due to something specific to that group. These variances have similarly been witnessed amount other minority and marginalized communities (based on ethnic difference, socioeconomic status, ability/disability, etc.). From a developmental perspective, as a result of the challenges and stigma faced by individuals identifying themselves as bisexual, they often have delayed development, maturity, and even age-expected emotional stability. However, given time individuals identifying in a range of minority sexual orientations typically are statistically identical to their heterosexual peers in terms of their psychological makeup and stability. *Answered by Dr. Daniel Brewer, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, on Tuesday February 11th, 2014. Dr. Daniel Brewer Assistant Clinical Director Psychological Consultations 2835 N. Sheffield Ave. Ste. 404 Chicago, IL 60657 773-413-6006 cdb160@yahoo.com www.PsychologicalConsultations.com