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Sexuality:Shaped By Biology And Society

Amanda Gardner 1/10
154:130 SCA
Queer Global Sexualities
9 May 2005

Sexuality: Shaped by Biology and Society

The term sexuality, is described by The Penguin Dictionary of Sociology (Abercrombie et al. 2000:313) as ‘the mode by which sexual interests and sexual preferences are expressed'. Sexuality is described by biologist David Buss, (Myers 2001) as the instinctive and innate behavioral tendencies that increase the likelihood of sending ones genes into future offspring. Sexuality is not one's sex, which is simply ones physiological and anatomical characteristics of maleness or femaleness (Marieb 2001). Also, sexuality is not ones gender, which is the socially learned characteristics or roles of maleness or femaleness (Poole & Jureidini 2000). These terms, sex and gender, imply the differences between men and women physiologically and characteristically. Sexuality is not sex or gender, although sexuality is somewhat intertwined with the two. Sexuality is sexual behavior; the ‘behavior related to copulation and similar activities' (Oakley, 1985 p.99: as cited in Zajdow 2002:63). Sexuality is the whole area of actions and thoughts surrounding ‘achieving and having sexual relations' (Pinker 1997). The behaviors one exhibits when attracting a partner, the interactions with other humans in a sexual manner, and actual sexual activities, are all components of sexuality (Vida 1996).
Theorists attempt to answer what causes sexual behavior, which factors have the power to influence one's sexual behavior, and what factors control or limit sexual behavior.
Amanda Gardner 2/10
Traditional explanations of sexuality or sexual behavior have been derived and colored by evolutionary biological sciences. As noted earlier such theories have been criticized by sociology as being flawed by essentialism. This term, essentialism, refers to the way theorists, such as sociobiologists have reduced the complexity of sexuality right down to a single essence (Abercrombie...