Many cultures use identity labels to describe people who express these attractions. The American Psychological Association states that "exual orientation refers to an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions to men, women, or both sexes" and that "his range of behaviors and attractions has been described in various cultures and nations throughout the world. Sexual orientation differs from sexual identity in that it encompasses relationships with others, while sexual identity is a concept of self.
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Scientific and professional understanding is that "the core attractions that form the basis for adult sexual orientation typically emerge between middle childhood and early adolescence". Some people prefer simply to follow an individual's self-definition or identity. Most definitions of sexual orientation include a psychological component, such as the direction of an individual's erotic desires, or a behavioral component, which focuses on the sex of the individual's sexual partner/s. It may be considered a lack of a sexual orientation, and there is significant debate over whether or not it is a sexual orientation. An asexual has little to no sexual attraction to people. Sexual orientation is traditionally defined as including heterosexuality, bisexuality, and homosexuality, while asexuality is considered the fourth category of sexual orientation by some researchers and has been defined as the absence of a traditional sexual orientation. See also: Sexual identity, Human sexual activity, and Situational sexual behavior
There is considerably more evidence supporting nonsocial, biological causes of sexual orientation than social ones, especially for males. Although no single theory on the cause of sexual orientation has yet gained widespread support, scientists favor biologically based theories. Scientists do not know the exact cause of sexual orientation, but they theorize that it is caused by a complex interplay of genetic, hormonal, and environmental influences. Sexual preference may also suggest a degree of voluntary choice, whereas sexual orientation is not a choice. A person who identifies as bisexual, for example, may sexually prefer one sex over the other. The term sexual preference largely overlaps with sexual orientation, but is generally distinguished in psychological research. Androphilia describes sexual attraction to masculinity gynephilia describes the sexual attraction to femininity. Androphilia and gynephilia are terms used in behavioral science to describe sexual orientation as an alternative to a gender binary conceptualization. According to the American Psychological Association, sexual orientation "also refers to a person's sense of identity based on those attractions, related behaviors, and membership in a community of others who share those attractions".
For example, people may use other labels, such as pansexual or polysexual, or none at all. These categories are aspects of the more nuanced nature of sexual identity and terminology. These attractions are generally subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality, while asexuality (the lack of sexual attraction to others) is sometimes identified as the fourth category. Sexual orientation is an enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender.
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