Assessing Multiple Facets of Attraction to Women and Men

Abstract

The Assessing Multiple Facets of Attraction to Women and Men scale, developed by Lisa M. Diamond, is a comprehensive psychological scale designed to provide a nuanced understanding of an individual’s patterns of sexual attraction and emotional feelings toward women and men. Unlike global measures, such as the Kinsey scale, this instrument avoids aggregation into a single score, emphasizing detailed assessment across multiple dimensions: frequency (relative and overall), intensity, and breadth of attraction. The measure employs an innovative and intuitive 0% to 100% response format for assessing the relative frequency of attractions and fantasies, differentiating clearly between physical attraction and emotional attraction. It is structured to be gender-neutral in administration, allowing for the study of both same-sex and other-sex attractions in both male and female respondents, yielding a more detailed picture of complex phenomena like sexual fluidity.

Keywords

Sexual attraction, Emotional attraction, Sexual fluidity, Kinsey scale, Sexual identity, Same-sex attraction, Bisexuality, Psychological assessment.

Authors

Lisa M. Diamond

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Purpose

The primary purpose of this measure is to provide a highly detailed and multidimensional assessment of an individual’s sexual attraction patterns, specifically concerning attraction toward women versus men. It aims to capture the complexity and potential dynamism of attraction that simpler, single-dimension scales often overlook. By separating physical attraction, emotional attraction, and sexual fantasy, the scale allows researchers to investigate discrepancies and nuances within an individual’s affective and sexual experiences, particularly in populations where sexual identity may be fluid or non-binary.

Furthermore, the instrument is designed to assess not only the relative balance of same-sex versus other-sex attraction but also the specific characteristics of those attractions, including their overall frequency, their intensity, and whether they are directed toward a single specific person or multiple individuals (breadth). This level of detail is critical for researchers studying phenomena like the origins and development of sexual orientation.

Construct

The scale measures the psychological construct of multifaceted sexual attraction, broken down into four distinct, measurable facets, all assessed over a six-month period:

• Relative Frequency: Assessed using a 0% to 100% scale (Items 1-3). This innovative format measures the degree to which physical attractions, emotional attractions, and sexual fantasies are directed toward women versus men, providing a more granular alternative to the traditional Kinsey scale.
• Overall Frequency: Assessed using categorical frequency responses (e.g., “Almost never” to “About every day”). This facet differentiates between individuals who may report a high percentage score for attraction to a certain gender but experience attractions very rarely, versus those who experience them frequently.
• Breadth of Attraction: Assessed by counting the number of different individuals (Items 5, 8 for women; 15, 18 for men) and determining if the attraction is focused solely on a current partner (Items 6, 9 for women; 16, 19 for men). This facet helps identify individuals who experience attraction as “based on the person rather than the gender.”
• Intensity and Urge: Assessed using a 1-to-5 Likert scale (Items 11-13 for women; 21-23 for men). This measures the average and strongest intensity of attractions experienced, as well as the strength of the desire to engage in sexual activity corresponding to sexual thoughts.

Validity

Formal, psychometrically established validity data for the overall scale is not currently available. However, the conceptual validity of the measure is strongly supported by its utility in extensive, long-standing longitudinal research conducted by the author, Dr. Lisa M. Diamond, specifically regarding female sexual identity development and sexual fluidity. The scale’s design inherently enhances face validity by explicitly separating complex components (such as physical vs. emotional attraction and frequency vs. intensity) that are often merged in simpler, global measures.

The utility of the scale items has been demonstrated through their application in several seminal publications (Diamond, 1998-2008), confirming their effectiveness in capturing subtle yet significant variations in attraction patterns among women. However, the degree to which these items capture the same variation types in male populations remains an area for further research.

Reliability

No formal reliability data, such as test-retest reliability or measures of internal consistency (e.g., Cronbach’s alpha), has been published for this specific measure. The author notes that different subsets of the items have been utilized successfully across several longitudinal studies, suggesting practical utility and consistency within specific research contexts focused on female participants.

Given the scale’s non-aggregated nature, the author advises researchers using the instrument to exercise caution regarding specific item correlations. Specifically, researchers must carefully examine scatterplots and correlations between attraction and fantasy items before any aggregation occurs, due to observed interindividual variation, especially in how women report their attractions corresponding to their sexual fantasies.

Factor Analysis

A formal factor analysis resulting in a single factor structure is not applicable to this measure, as it is explicitly designed to assess multiple facets of attraction rather than combining them into a singular underlying construct or index. The scale’s strength lies in providing separate, detailed metrics for frequency, breadth, and intensity.

If researchers choose to combine certain items into composite scores based on their research questions, they are strictly advised to inspect the correlations between the relevant variables first. Since the items use non-comparable scales (e.g., 0-100 percentage versus 1-5 intensity scales), standardization of the relevant variables is mandatory before any aggregation is performed.

Instrument

Test Type: Psychological Scale (Self-Report/Interview)

Format: Multiple formats including 0%-100% numerical responses, categorical frequency responses, and 1-to-5 intensity Likert scales.

Language Available: English (Original)

Population Group: Individuals interested in assessing their same-sex and other-sex attractions (Administered to both women and men in research).

Age Group: Adolescent and young adult populations (based on cited research, though the scale is generally applicable to adults).

Population Details: This measure has been most extensively used in research concerning female sexual identity development and patterns of sexual fluidity.

Test Methodology: Can be administered on paper, online, or verbally during an interview. Administration time is approximately 10 minutes.

Keywords

Sexual attraction, Emotional attraction, Sexual fluidity, Kinsey scale, Sexual identity, Same-sex attraction, Bisexuality, Psychological assessment.

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Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source.

Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected]

Correspondence Address: Lisa M. Diamond, University of Utah, 380 South 1530 East, Room 502, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0251

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions and Fees: Information regarding formal licensing or fees is not available in the source material. Researchers utilizing the measure should contact the author, Dr. Lisa M. Diamond, for permission, as subsets of the items have been used in academic publications dating back to 1998.

Test Year: The scale was developed and modified across several research publications, with key applications appearing between 1998 and 2008.

Reference’s

Diamond, L. M. (1998). Development of sexual orientation among adolescent and young adult women. Developmental Psychology, 34, 1085–1095.

Diamond, L. M. (2000). Sexual identity, attractions, and behavior among young sexual-minority women over a two-year period. Developmental Psychology, 36, 241–250.

Diamond, L. M. (2003). Was it a phase? Young women’s relinquishment of lesbian/bisexual identities over a 5-year period. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 352–364.

Diamond, L. M. (2005). A new view of lesbian subtypes: Stable vs. fluid identity trajectories over an 8-year period. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 29, 119–128.

Diamond, L. M. (2008a). Female bisexuality from adolescence to adulthood: Results from a 10-year longitudinal study. Developmental Psychology, 44, 5–14.

Diamond, L. M. (2008b). Sexual fluidity: Understanding women’s love and desire. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

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Items of the Assessing Multiple Facets of Attraction to Women and Men

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

The first few questions below ask about how OFTEN you are attracted to women versus men. It does not matter if the attractions are strong or weak; we are just trying to get a sense of how often they occur. The first question focuses on physical attractions and the second question focuses on emotional attractions. By “physical,” we mean the type of attraction that you would associate with a desire for sexual activity. By “emotional,” we mean the type of attraction that is usually associated with romantic love, including strong desires for emotional closeness and intimacy. Physical and emotional attractions often occur together, but not always. This is why we are asking about them separately.

1. Please provide a number between 0 and 100 to represent the percentage of your day-to-day PHYSICAL attractions which have been directed toward women versus men over the past 6 months. For example, 0% would mean that you have NEVER experienced attractions for women during the past 6 months, 100% would mean that you have ONLY experienced attractions for women during the past 6 months, and 50% would mean that you have been physically attracted to women about as often as you have been physically attracted to men during the past 6 months. You can provide any number between 0 and 100 (for example 20%, 83%, 99%). Percentage of physical attractions directed toward women:

2. Now provide a number from 0% to 100% for the percentage of your EMOTIONAL attractions which are directed to women versus men. Percentage of emotional attractions directed toward women:

3. In general, what percentage of your sexual fantasies have been about women versus men over the past 6 months? Percentage of sexual fantasies about women:

4. How often have you experienced a physical attraction for a woman during the past 6 months?

   Almost never

   Less than once a month

   Once or twice a month

   About once a week

   More than once a week

   About every day

5. About how many different women have you been physically attracted to in the past 6 months?

6. If you answered “1” on the last question, is this someone that you are currently sexually or romantically involved with?

   yes no

7. How often have you experienced an emotional attraction for a woman during the past 6 months?

   Almost never

   Less than once a month

   Once or twice a month

   About once a week

   More than once a week

   About every day

8. About how many different women have you been emotionally attracted to in the past 6 months?

9. If you answered “1” on the last question, is this someone that you are currently sexually or romantically involved with?

   yes no

10. How often have you had sexual fantasies about a woman, or women in general, in the past MONTH?

    Almost never

    Less than once a month

    Once or twice a month

    About once a week

    More than once a week

    About every day

11. The next question concerns the intensity of your physical attractions for women. This is on a 1 to 5 scale, so that 1 is “no attraction,” 3 is a moderate attraction (right in the middle of the scale), and 5 is the most intense attraction you can experience. Thinking about ALL of the attractions to women you have experienced in the past 6 months, how would you rate the AVERAGE intensity of those attractions?

12. How would you rate the intensity of the STRONGEST attraction to a woman that you’ve experienced in the past 6 months?

13. When you have sexual thoughts about a woman, or women in general, how strong is your desire to engage in sexual activity? Use the same 1 to 5 scale, so 1 is basically “no desire for sexual activity,” 3 is in the middle, and 5 is maximum desire for sexual activity. The next set of questions focus on men.

14. How often have you experienced a physical attraction for a man during the past 6 months?

    Almost never

    Less than once a month

    Once or twice a month

    About once a week

    More than once a week

    About every day

15. About how many different men have you been physically attracted to in the past 6 months?

16. If you answered “1” on the last question, is this someone that you are currently sexually or romantically involved with?

    yes no

17. How often have you experienced an emotional attraction for a man during the past 6 months?

    Almost never

    Less than once a month

    Once or twice a month

    About once a week

    More than once a week

    About every day

18. About how many different men have you been emotionally attracted to in the past 6 months?

19. If you answered “1” on the last question, is this someone that you are currently sexually or romantically involved with?

    yes no

20. How often have you had sexual fantasies about a man, or men in general, in the past MONTH?

    Almost never

    Less than once a month

    Once or twice a month

    About once a week

    More than once a week

    About every day

21. Thinking about all of the attractions to MEN that you have experienced in the past 6 months, how would you rate the AVERAGE intensity of those attractions? As before, this is on a 1 to 5 scale, so that 1 is “no attraction,” 3 is a moderate attraction (right in the middle of the scale), and 5 is the most intense attraction you can experience.

22. How would you rate the intensity of the STRONGEST attraction to a man that you’ve experienced in the past 6 months?

23. When you have sexual thoughts about a man, or men in general, how strong is your desire to engage in sexual activity? Use the same 1 to 5 scale, so 1 is basically “no desire for sexual activity,” 3 is in the middle, and 5 is maximum desire for sexual activity.