Asexuality
Asexuality (or nonsexuality)[1][2][3] is the lack of sexual attraction to anyone or low or absent interest in sexual activity.[4][5][6] It may be considered the lack of a sexual orientation, or one of the four variations thereof, alongside heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality.[7][8][9] A study in 2004 placed the prevalence of asexuality at 1%.[7][10]
Asexuality is distinct from abstention from sexual activity and from celibacy,[11] which are behavioral and generally motivated by factors such as an individual's personal or religious beliefs;[12] sexual orientation, unlike sexual behavior, is believed to be "enduring".[13] Some asexual people do engage in sexual activity despite lacking a desire for sex or sexual attraction, due to a variety of reasons, such as a desire to please romantic partners or a desire to have children.[6]
Acceptance of asexuality as a sexual orientation and field of scientific research is still relatively new,[4][6][8][14] as a growing body of research from both sociological and psychological perspectives has begun to develop.[6] While some researchers assert that asexuality is a sexual orientation, other researchers disagree.[8][9]
References
- ↑ Asexual". thefreedictionary.com. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
- ↑ "Nonsexual". thefreedictionary.com. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
- ↑ Harris, Lynn (26 May 2005). "Asexual and proud!". Salon. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Bogaert, Anthony F. (2006). "Toward a conceptual understanding of asexuality". Review of General Psychology 10 (3) 241–250. Retrieved 31 August 2007.
- ↑ Kelly, Gary F. (2004) "Chapter 12" Sexuality Today: The Human Perspective (7 ed.)McGraw-Hillp. 401ISBN 9780072558357 Asexuality is a condition characterized by a low interest in sex.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Prause, Nicole; Cynthia A. Graham (August 2004) (PDF). Asexuality: Classification and Characterization. 36. 341–356. doi:. http://www.kinseyinstitute.org/publications/PDF/PrauseGrahamPDF.pdf. Retrieved on 31 August 2007.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Bogaert, Anthony F. (2004). Asexuality: prevalence and associated factors in a national probability sample. 41. 279–87. doi: .
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Melby, Todd (November 2005). Asexuality gets more attention, but is it a sexual orientation?. 39. 1, 4–5. http://www.apositive.org/wordpress_backup/?page_id=222. Retrieved on 20 November 2011 The journal currently does not have a website
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Marshall Cavendish, ed (2010). "Asexuality". Sex and Society. 2. Marshall Cavendish. pp. 82–83. ISBN 978-0-7614-7906-2. http://books.google.com/books?id=aVDZchwkIMEC&pg=PA82. Retrieved on 27 July 2013.
- ↑ Study: One in 100 adults asexual". CNN. 15 October 2004. Archived from the original on 27 October 2007. Retrieved 11 November 2007.
- ↑ DePaulo, Bella (26 September 2011). "ASEXUALS: Who Are They and Why Are They Important?". Psychology Today. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
- ↑ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (3d ed. 1992), entries for celibacy and thence abstinence
- ↑ Sexual orientation, homosexuality and bisexuality". American Psychological Association. Retrieved March 30, 2013.
- ↑ "Overview". The Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN). 2008. Retrieved 14 October 2011