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Is Sexual Attraction Independent of the Instrumental and Expressive Traits?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 April 2014

Juan Fernández ,
María Ángeles Quiroga  and
Isabel Del Olmo
Juan Fernández*
Affiliation:
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
María Ángeles Quiroga
Affiliation:
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Isabel Del Olmo
Affiliation:
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Juan Fernández, Departamento de Psicología Evolutiva y de la Educación, Facultad de Psicología, Campus de Somosaguas. 28223 – Madrid (Spain). E-mail: jfernandez@psi.ucm.es
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Abstract

Sexual attraction is an essential part of sex, just as the instrumental and expressive traits are the mainstay of gender. Various hypotheses concerning the dimensionality and independence versus dependence/overlapping of these core entities were tested. A group of 423 university students completed the Sexual Attraction Questionnaire (SAQ; Fernández, Quiroga, & Rodríguez, 2006) and the 12-item Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI; Bem, 1974). Internal consistency and factor analyses (PAF) were conducted. The results support the dimensionality established for the SAQ and reveal some psychometric and conceptual weaknesses of the 12-item BSRI. The results also support the independence of the two cores: sexual attraction and the instrumental and expressive traits. The logical implications for the different viewpoints of the relations between sex and gender are discussed.

Uno de los núcleos básicos de la realidad del sexo es la atracción sexual, al igual que uno de los núcleos básicos de género hace referencia a los dominios instrumental y expresivo. En este trabajo se van a poner a prueba las distintas hipótesis sobre la dimensionalidad de la atracción sexual y de los dominios instrumental y expresivo, a la par que la hipótesis de la independencia frente a la dependencia o solapamiento de ambas realidades. Se contó para ello con la participación de 423 estudiantes universitarios. Los instrumentos utilizados fueron el Cuestionario de Atracción Sexual (CAS; Fernández, Quiroga, & Rodríguez, 2006) y la versión de 12 ítems del Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI; Bem, 1974). Los resultados proporcionaron un claro apoyo empírico a la dimensionalidad establecida para el SAQ, a la par que dejaron al descubierto ciertas debilidades conceptuales y psicométricas del BSRI. Los resultados apoyan la independencia de los dos núcleos: la atracción sexual y los dominios instrumental y expresivo. Se establecen las implicaciones lógicas para las distintas posturas en torno a las relaciones del sexo y el género.

Keywords

sexual orientationsexual attractioninstrumentalityexpressivenessmasculinityfemininityatracción sexualorientación sexualinstrumentalidadexpresividadmasculinidadfeminidad

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Type
Articles
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 9 , Issue 2 , November 2006 , pp. 162 - 170
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2006

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