Personal stories of the fluidity of sexuality and their relevance to theories of human sexual orientation

• Author / Creator

  Cey, Robert Owen

• A narrative inquiry methodology was utilized to investigate experiences of fluidity of sexuality and the broader processes of sexuality and sexual identity development. Five adult co-researchers, all members of various sexual and gender minority groups, participated in semi-structured, in-depth interviews centering on their experiences of changes in sexuality over time. The stories told were presented in the research text. Only one experience of a significant and lasting shift in sexual desire during adulthood was reported, occurring in the context of a transition from a male to a female gender identity. A thematic analysis of the co-researchers’ narratives was undertaken, and 3 common and 14 important themes were identified. The co-researchers’ stories and the common and important themes were brought together to form a partial model of sexuality and sexual identity development. Implications for counselling and for further research in this area were also considered.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Sexuality
  • Identity
  • Counselling psychology
  • Fluidity of sexuality
  • Sexual orientation
  • Essentialism
  • Erotic plasticity
  • Psychology
  • Social constructionism
  • Narratives

• Graduation date

  Spring 2011

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Doctor of Philosophy

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3DH7D

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.