Kinsey scale: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 03:40, 13 February 2025

A scale measuring sexual orientation

Kinsey Scale[edit]

The Kinsey Scale, also known as the Heterosexual-Homosexual Rating Scale, is a scale that attempts to describe a person's sexual orientation based on their experiences or response at a given time. It was developed by Alfred Kinsey, Wardell Pomeroy, and Clyde Martin as part of the Kinsey Reports in the mid-20th century.

Development[edit]

The Kinsey Scale was introduced in "Sexual Behavior in the Human Male" (1948) and "Sexual Behavior in the Human Female" (1953). The scale ranges from 0 to 6, with 0 representing exclusive heterosexuality and 6 representing exclusive homosexuality. An additional category, "X," was used to signify asexuality.

Scale Description[edit]

The scale is as follows:

0: Exclusively heterosexual
1: Predominantly heterosexual, only incidentally homosexual
2: Predominantly heterosexual, but more than incidentally homosexual
3: Equally heterosexual and homosexual
4: Predominantly homosexual, but more than incidentally heterosexual
5: Predominantly homosexual, only incidentally heterosexual
6: Exclusively homosexual
X: No socio-sexual contacts or reactions

Impact and Criticism[edit]

The Kinsey Scale was revolutionary in its time for suggesting that sexual orientation is not a binary concept but rather a spectrum. It challenged the prevailing views of sexuality and opened up new avenues for research and discussion.

However, the scale has been criticized for its simplicity and for not accounting for the complexities of sexual orientation, such as bisexuality, pansexuality, and asexuality. Critics also point out that it does not consider gender identity or the fluidity of sexual orientation over time.

Related pages[edit]

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-'''Kinsey Scale'''
+{{Short description|A scale measuring sexual orientation}}
-The '''[[Kinsey Scale]]''', also known as the '''Kinsey Report''' or '''Kinsey's Heterosexual-Homosexual Rating Scale''', is a scientific scale used to measure an individual's sexual orientation. Developed by [[Alfred Kinsey]], [[Wardell Pomeroy]], and [[Clyde Martin]] in the mid-20th century, the scale is a significant contribution to the field of [[sexology]].
+== Kinsey Scale ==
+[[File:Kinsey Scale.svg|thumb|right|The Kinsey Scale]]
+The '''Kinsey Scale''', also known as the '''Heterosexual-Homosexual Rating Scale''', is a scale that attempts to describe a person's sexual orientation based on their experiences or response at a given time. It was developed by [[Alfred Kinsey]], [[Wardell Pomeroy]], and [[Clyde Martin]] as part of the [[Kinsey Reports]] in the mid-20th century.
-==History==
+== Development ==
+The Kinsey Scale was introduced in "[[Sexual Behavior in the Human Male]]" (1948) and "[[Sexual Behavior in the Human Female]]" (1953). The scale ranges from 0 to 6, with 0 representing exclusive heterosexuality and 6 representing exclusive homosexuality. An additional category, "X," was used to signify asexuality.
-The Kinsey Scale was first introduced in the 1948 book ''Sexual Behavior in the Human Male'' by Alfred Kinsey and his colleagues. The scale was later expanded upon in the 1953 sequel, ''Sexual Behavior in the Human Female''. These works, collectively known as the [[Kinsey Reports]], were groundbreaking in their exploration of human sexuality.
+== Scale Description ==
+The scale is as follows:
-==Concept==
+* '''0''': Exclusively heterosexual
+* '''1''': Predominantly heterosexual, only incidentally homosexual
+* '''2''': Predominantly heterosexual, but more than incidentally homosexual
+* '''3''': Equally heterosexual and homosexual
+* '''4''': Predominantly homosexual, but more than incidentally heterosexual
+* '''5''': Predominantly homosexual, only incidentally heterosexual
+* '''6''': Exclusively homosexual
+* '''X''': No socio-sexual contacts or reactions
-The Kinsey Scale ranges from 0 to 6, with 0 representing exclusively heterosexual behavior or attraction and 6 representing exclusively homosexual behavior or attraction. The scale also includes an "X" category, which represents a lack of sexual behavior or attraction (asexuality).
+== Impact and Criticism ==
+The Kinsey Scale was revolutionary in its time for suggesting that sexual orientation is not a binary concept but rather a spectrum. It challenged the prevailing views of sexuality and opened up new avenues for research and discussion.
-==Criticism and Impact==
+However, the scale has been criticized for its simplicity and for not accounting for the complexities of sexual orientation, such as [[bisexuality]], [[pansexuality]], and [[asexuality]]. Critics also point out that it does not consider [[gender identity]] or the fluidity of sexual orientation over time.
-While the Kinsey Scale has been influential in the study of human sexuality, it has also faced criticism. Some critics argue that the scale oversimplifies sexual orientation, while others contend that it overemphasizes sexual behavior over sexual identity. Despite these criticisms, the Kinsey Scale remains a widely used tool in sexology.
+== Related pages ==
-==See Also==
-* [[Sexual orientation]]
-* [[Human sexuality]]
 * [[Alfred Kinsey]]
 * [[Kinsey Reports]]
+* [[Sexual orientation]]
+* [[Bisexuality]]
+* [[Asexuality]]
-==References==
-<references />
-[[Category:Sexology]]
 [[Category:Sexual orientation]]
-[[Category:Psychological scales]]
+[[Category:Human sexuality]]
-{{Sexuality-stub}}