title: Components of sexual identity.
abstract: This paper examines the four components of sexual identity: biological sex, gender identity, social sex-role, and sexual orientation. Theories about the development of each component and how they combine and conflict to form the individual's sexual identity are discussed. As defined here, social sex-role includes the individual's femininity and masculinity. Sexual orientation includes the individual's physical and affectional sexual preferences for relationships with members of the same and/or opposite biological sex. This paper may help to clarify meanings of the following terms used in research on sexual identity; sex, gender, femininity, masculinity, heterosexuality, and homosexuality.
mesh_terms: D002668:Child Rearing; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity / Q000523:psychology; D006716:Homosexuality; D006801:Humans; D007062:Identification, Psychological; D007100:Imitative Behavior; D008297:Male; D012649:Self Concept; D012732:Sex Determination Analysis; D012737:Sex Factors; D012919:Social Behavior