Sexual Identity - Essay Example

Sexual identity Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Name Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Course Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Lecture Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 17th October, 2012. Introduction Sexual identity can be described as the perception one has of their sexual image, it relates to the way one thinks of themselves sexually or romantically. The sexual identity of a person mostly reflects the actual sexual acts that a person is likely to engage in. According to Butt (2001), sexual identity is closely associated with the perceptions of gender, gender roles, gender bias and sexual orientation. The Sexual identity of a person cannot be separated from the social background of an individual according to the social construction theory. According to Social construction, the institution a person passes through in life shapes the sexual identity of an individual. The influence of Social institutions including the media, family, educational institutions, religious and government institutions on sexuality is undeniable. This paper uses the social construction theory to explore the role educational and media institutions play in shaping the sexual identity of individuals. Social constructionism Social constructionism is a theory that deals with the way phenomena are defined by their social context. According Harking (1999), a phenomenon is a by-product of human choices rather than of inherent quality. The theory explores how reality as we know it is constructed by the actions of individuals and groups. According to Harking (1999), social constructions are not clear about what is inevitable or what should be done away with. According to Butt (2001), identity is not rigid and keeps on changing depending on the social interactions of an individual. Identity especially sexual identity is dependent on its social meaning and it cannot be separated from it. He also proposes that the meaning of sexual identity goes beyond sexual practices. The theory constitutes people as belonging to a particular kind like adulterer, homosexual or heterosexual. How do educational Institutions shape our sexual identity? In the modern society people spend more than a quarter of their lives in educational institutions. Therefore, it can be argued that as social institution, educational institutions have a profound influence on the formation of sexual identity (Brown et al 2011). Furthermore, individuals attend educational institutions when their minds are most receptive to social influence. In early childhood, a child is not supposed to be troubled by matters of sexual identity. However, the first sign of an emerging gender identity appear quite early in life (Renold 2005). As early as 3 years, children start to perceive their differences with those of the other sex. Although the recognition of differences in gender starts at home it is reinforced in school by interactions with other children (Martin and Ruble 2004). While playing, children are separated into separate gender groups by their teachers or their level of activity. Soon children intern this as the normal way of doing things and separation between boys and girls continue developing in the young minds. In the early years the games children play at school contribute to the formation of sexual identity they exhibit in later years (Martin and Ruble 2004). Mother and father games are very common among young children, in these games and children take on the roles of adults. These games strengthen the separation of gender while at the same time breaking it. In these games, children of different gender play together breaking the unspoken gender rule that separate the two groups. By giving boys the role of men in the society and attempting to recreate the role of both parents in these games further anchor the perceptions of belonging to one gender on the young children. Educational institutions also serve as moral institutions that reinforce the commonly held beliefs about sexuality in mainstream society. In any society there are a number of beliefs about what each sex should behave like. Nudity for example becomes a matters of concern for educational institutions and especially so for girls. Most schools advocate for girls to cover up most of their skin as that is what society expects of them. Practices in school that reinforce the belief that girls should keep their bodies covered include separate bathrooms for the sexes. One of the negative effects on sexuality later in life means some girls are afraid to expose their nudity even in legitimate contexts. Since people in educational institutions are young and have relatively lesser knowledge about the world than adults, they rely on the perception of their tutors to form their own opinions. It is rare to find a teacher unbiased on matters of sexuality (Millington and Wilson 2010). Most tutors lean towards heterosexuality, the dominant sexual orientation in today’s society. Therefore most tutors will intentionally or unintentionally influence their students into taking attitudes that are biased towards other sexual orientations. Tutors influence sexual identity by associating negative aspects of field of study with one gender or sexual orientation. Sexual stereotypes are also formed and cultivated in educational institutions How do Media institutions shape sexual identity? The media is sometimes referred to as the gatekeeper of society. It is the gatekeeper as it is supposed to provide information that preserves the morality of society. The media can influence the formation of identity in a number of diverse ways. The means by which media shape sexual identity include the content of the information the media presents to individuals, the context and the way the media portrays the information (Carstarphen and Zavoina 1999). With recent development in mass communication the media is among the social institutions that greatly shape sexual identity. The diversity of the media means it spawns countless messages regarding sexuality on a daily basis. According to Braun (2009), the media advocates for a perspective of life, that views sexual identity in a different light. Magazines, television, adverts, movies and television provide different guidance on sexual identity. Nevertheless, the media is actively involved in opposing traditionally established views on sexuality. Among the factors that shape sexuality in the media includes nudity (Costa, Braun and Birbaumer 2003). Nudity can be described as the act of showing inappropriate body parts in the wrong context. The media today contains advertisements or programs that show near naked people almost on a daily basis (Millington and Wilson 2010). Individuals today are exposed to various degree of nudeness in the name of advertisement or media programs. Most magazines contain glossy images of semi-nude or nude women. This constant exposure to nudity has a profound effect on sexual identity of most individuals especially children. Nudity is now more embraced in society and is increasingly being accepted as the norm in modern society. A second factor of media that shapes sexual identity is gendered character representation in the media (Mackie 2008). In modern society there are certain individuals who are regarded as celebrities whose lifestyles many envy and hope to emulate. The character of these people shapes the sexual identity of people who strive to emulate them. For some people they have to follow the exact lifestyle of their icons. The celebrity emulating culture has led to a crisis in sexual identity, especially when the role models decide to change their lifestyle in a controversial way and are cast in the media as guiding their followers to act in the same way (Hong-Chi and Chi-Chien 2009). A good example of how the media can contribute to sexual identity crisis is in the cases of the late Pop icon, Michael Jackson. The pop star underwent a facial operation whose result meant he looked more of a woman and indeed the images of him that were presented in the media were closer to those of a woman than a man. His followers who were keen to follow in his footsteps had to undergo a sexual identity crisis as the society regarded them as Transsexuals. Representation of various genders in the media has a great influence on sexual identity as it contributes to the overall perception of gender roles and gender bias. According Leaper and Brown (2008), the role the media gives to men or women in the content they broadcast influences the identity of individuals over a long period of time. Recently, the media has formed the habit of casting women in dominant roles in what are times known as girl power. Girl power emphasizes on the need of women to dress and sometimes behave as provocatively as possible (Diamond 2000). Furthermore, it stresses on the right of women to have multiple sexual partners. This depiction of women in what society would describe as rebellious roles has a profound role in shaping the sexual identity of women especially the young ones (Little and Hoskins 2004). Such depictions are responsible for loosening the inhibition of women when it comes to dressing and sometimes even their sexual inhibition. In comparison, both educational and media institutions play an important role in the shaping of sexual identity in individuals. The influence of the school and home are more distinct than that of the media. But as an individual grows and becomes more reactive to social stimuli, the Media becomes a larger factor in shaping sexual identity. Throughout life the media remains a relevant factor in shaping sexual identity unlike educational institutions whose influence is limited to the school years Conclusion It is clear that sexual identity is socially constructed and is a by-product of an individual’s interactions with various social institutions. While considering methods to moderate sexual identity it is important to evaluate and intervene in the two institutions as they play a profound role in shaping sexual identity. References Hacking, I 1999, The Social Construction of What? Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Butt, T.W. 2001, Social action and personal constructs. Theory & Psychology, vol. 11, pp.75–95. Brown, C, Alabi, B, Huynh, V, & Masten, C 2011, Ethnicity and Gender in Late Childhood and Early Adolescence: Group Identity and Awareness of Bias, Developmental Psychology, vol. 47, no. 2, pp. 463-471. Millington, B, & Wilson, B 2010, Perceived experiences with sexism among adolescent girls, Child Development, 79, 685–704. Renold, C 2005, Girls, Boys and Junior Sexualities. Exploring Children's Gender and Sexual Relations in the Primary School Routledge, New York. Martin, C, & Ruble, D 2004, Children’s search for gender cues: Cognitive perspectives on gender development, Current Directions in Psychological Science, vol. 13, pp. 67–70. Costa, M, Braun, C, & Birbaumer, N 2003, Gender differences in response to pictures of nudes: A magnetoencephalographic study, Biological Psychology, vol. 63, pp. 129–147. Diamond, L. M. 2000, Sexual identity, attractions, and behavior among young sexual-minority women over a 2-year period, Developmental Psychology, vol.36, pp. 241–250. Mackie, V 2008, How to Be a Girl: Mainstream Media Portrayals of Transgendered Lives in Japan, Asian Studies Review, vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 411-423 Carstarphen, M, & Zavoina, S 1999, Sexual Rhetoric: Media Perspectives On Sexuality, Gender, And Identity, Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. Braun, L 2009, Media Influences on Adolescents' Well-being and Perception of Sexual Norms, Health Education Monograph Series, vol. 26, no 2, pp. 18-22 Little, J, & Hoskins, M 2004, It's an Acceptable Identity": Constructing "Girl" at the Intersections of Health, Media, and Meaning-Making, Child & Youth Services, vol 26,no. 2, pp. 75-93 Hong-Chi, S, & Chi-Chien, C 2009, When Sissy Boys Become Mainstream: Narrating Asian Feminized Masculinities in the Global Age, International Journal Of Social Inquiry vol 2, no. 2, pp. 55-74 Millington, B, & Wilson, B 2010, Context Masculinities: Media Consumption, Physical Education, and Youth Identities, American Behavioral Scientist, vol. 53, no. 11, pp. 1669-1688 Read More

These games strengthen the separation of gender while at the same time breaking it. In these games, children of different gender play together breaking the unspoken gender rule that separate the two groups. By giving boys the role of men in the society and attempting to recreate the role of both parents in these games further anchor the perceptions of belonging to one gender on the young children. Educational institutions also serve as moral institutions that reinforce the commonly held beliefs about sexuality in mainstream society.

In any society there are a number of beliefs about what each sex should behave like. Nudity for example becomes a matters of concern for educational institutions and especially so for girls. Most schools advocate for girls to cover up most of their skin as that is what society expects of them. Practices in school that reinforce the belief that girls should keep their bodies covered include separate bathrooms for the sexes. One of the negative effects on sexuality later in life means some girls are afraid to expose their nudity even in legitimate contexts.

Since people in educational institutions are young and have relatively lesser knowledge about the world than adults, they rely on the perception of their tutors to form their own opinions. It is rare to find a teacher unbiased on matters of sexuality (Millington and Wilson 2010). Most tutors lean towards heterosexuality, the dominant sexual orientation in today’s society. Therefore most tutors will intentionally or unintentionally influence their students into taking attitudes that are biased towards other sexual orientations.

Tutors influence sexual identity by associating negative aspects of field of study with one gender or sexual orientation. Sexual stereotypes are also formed and cultivated in educational institutions How do Media institutions shape sexual identity? The media is sometimes referred to as the gatekeeper of society. It is the gatekeeper as it is supposed to provide information that preserves the morality of society. The media can influence the formation of identity in a number of diverse ways.

The means by which media shape sexual identity include the content of the information the media presents to individuals, the context and the way the media portrays the information (Carstarphen and Zavoina 1999). With recent development in mass communication the media is among the social institutions that greatly shape sexual identity. The diversity of the media means it spawns countless messages regarding sexuality on a daily basis. According to Braun (2009), the media advocates for a perspective of life, that views sexual identity in a different light.

Magazines, television, adverts, movies and television provide different guidance on sexual identity. Nevertheless, the media is actively involved in opposing traditionally established views on sexuality. Among the factors that shape sexuality in the media includes nudity (Costa, Braun and Birbaumer 2003). Nudity can be described as the act of showing inappropriate body parts in the wrong context. The media today contains advertisements or programs that show near naked people almost on a daily basis (Millington and Wilson 2010).

Individuals today are exposed to various degree of nudeness in the name of advertisement or media programs. Most magazines contain glossy images of semi-nude or nude women. This constant exposure to nudity has a profound effect on sexual identity of most individuals especially children. Nudity is now more embraced in society and is increasingly being accepted as the norm in modern society. A second factor of media that shapes sexual identity is gendered character representation in the media (Mackie 2008).

In modern society there are certain individuals who are regarded as celebrities whose lifestyles many envy and hope to emulate. The character of these people shapes the sexual identity of people who strive to emulate them. For some people they have to follow the exact lifestyle of their icons.

Read More