John Money argues that human psychosexuality is a product of both prenatal hormonal programming and postnatal social conditioning. He introduces the concept of the lovemap, a mental blueprint that dictates an individual's specific erotic triggers and partner preferences. The book details how these maps form during childhood and adolescence, resulting in various orientations including heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality. Money also examines paraphilias and intersex conditions, asserting that gender identity is often fixed early in life through a combination of biological markers and environmental reinforcement.
This text serves researchers in sexology, psychology, and endocrinology who study the development of sexual identity. Readers interested in the history of behavioral science use this work to understand the origins of the nature versus nurture debate in gender studies. A reader finishes the book with a technical understanding of the theoretical link between brain chemistry and social behavior. They gain a specific vocabulary for discussing how developmental milestones and physiological events interact to establish a person’s permanent sexual orientation and gender role.
Deep; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Story Seeker. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1988
- ISBN
- 9780195054071
- Language
- EN
