The Meaning of My Sexual Self

Abstract

The scale, The Meaning of My Sexual Self, was developed by Annie Laura Cotten to measure the subjective meaning individuals assign to their sexual identity, addressing a gap in psychological assessment previously focused on sexual self-schemas and sexual self-efficacy. This measure utilizes the methodological principles of the Semantic Differential technique established by Osgood, Suci, and Tannenbaum (1957) for the measurement of meaning.

Initial developmental research involved 125 college students who responded to 18 bipolar choices, which determined the three universal dimensions of meaning: Evaluation, Potency, and Activity. Early findings provided initial evidence of validity by confirming a key hypothesis: greater psychological androgyny was significantly correlated with more positive responses regarding the meaning of the sexual self. Subsequent research expanded the sample size to 294 participants, ranging in age from 17 to 87, confirming the measure’s suitability for a wide range of adult age groups and further examining its construct in relation to masculinity and femininity traits measured by the Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI).

Keywords

Sexual self, sexual meaning, Semantic Differential, evaluation, potency, activity, sexual self-concept, androgyny, Bem Sex-Role Inventory, self-schema.

Authors

Annie Laura Cotten.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the scale is to quantitatively assess the subjective, affective, and evaluative meaning an individual attaches to their sexual self. This instrument addresses a conceptual gap in sexual psychology, where prior measures focused predominantly on cognitive structures (sexual self-schemas) or self-perceived capability (sexual self-efficacy), rather than the dimensional meaning derived from semantic space.

A secondary, but significant, purpose was the investigation of associations between the derived meaning scores and established personality constructs. Specifically, the scale was used to test the relationship between the positivity of one’s sexual self-meaning and psychological gender roles, finding that individuals identified as more androgynous (a balanced combination of masculinity and femininity traits) tended to rate their sexual self more positively.

Construct

The scale measures the subjective meaning of the sexual self (“my sexual self”) based on the three universal dimensions of meaning identified in the Semantic Differential theory. The scale posits that the meaning of the sexual self can be comprehensively understood through these three independent factors:

• Evaluation: This dimension reflects the affective valence, or the general positive or negative feelings, associated with the sexual self. Example adjective pairs include good-bad, valuable-worthless, and honest-dishonest.
• Potency: This dimension measures the perceived power, strength, or efficacy related to the sexual self. Example adjective pairs include strong-weak, together-alone, and loved-unloved.
• Activity: This dimension assesses the perceived dynamism, engagement, or assertiveness related to the sexual self. Example adjective pairs include assertive-nonassertive, involved-uninvolved, and flexible-rigid.

Validity

Initial evidence for the scale’s construct validity was established through its relationship with the Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI). The original research hypothesis—that higher levels of androgyny would correlate with more positive meanings of the sexual self—was significantly confirmed, providing convergent validity with established measures of psychological gender roles.

The instrument’s content validity is supported by the methodology used to derive the items: bipolar adjectives were generated by respondents in business and psychology classes who were asked how they would evaluate the three dimensions of meaning. This ensures that the adjective pairs used (18 total) are highly relevant and representative of the semantic space used to describe the sexual self.

Reliability

The source content does not explicitly provide internal consistency coefficients (e.g., Cronbach’s alpha) or test-retest reliability statistics. However, the development process included robust design features intended to enhance reliability and reduce measurement error. Specifically, the 18 bipolar choices were carefully rotated (reversing the order of numbers on every other adjective pair) to minimize rater bias and acquiescence effects, which is a standard procedure for maximizing the reliability of Semantic Differential scales.

Factor Analysis

The structure of the scale is fundamentally built upon the results of classical factor analysis conducted by Osgood, Suci, and Tannenbaum (1957), which established the three dimensions of Evaluation, Potency, and Activity as the primary factors underlying semantic judgment. The scale items (18 bipolar adjectives) were selected to specifically measure these three dimensions, with nine choices directly determining the scores for the three factors. The research conducted with the larger adult sample focused on examining the construct of the semantic measure and its associations, consistent with the established three-factor model.

Instrument

Test Type: Semantic Differential Scale, Self-Report Psychological Assessment.

Format: 18 bipolar adjective pairs rated on a 7-point scale.

Language Available: English (Original development).

Population Group: Adults.

Age Group: 17 to 87 years.

Population Details: The sample of 294 participants included undergraduate and graduate students (ages 17–55) at Central Connecticut State University, as well as Elderhostel participants (over age 55) from diverse geographical regions, confirming the measure’s suitability for all adult-age groups.

Test Methodology: Participants are instructed to circle the number (1 to 7) that comes closest to how they feel about their sexual selves. The rating scale typically runs from 1 (Most Positive) to 7 (Least Positive), with the polarity of the adjective pairs rotated throughout the measure to control for response bias. Most participants completed the measure in approximately 30 minutes.

Keywords

Sexual identity, psychometrics, self-concept, sexual health, psychological assessment, Evaluation-Potency-Activity, Semantic Differential, adult development.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source.

Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected] (Correspondence Email).

Correspondence Address: Annie Laura Cotten, 5 Melstone Turn, Durham, NC 27707.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Specific information regarding permissions and fees for use of the scale is not provided in the source material. The foundational research leading to the development of the scale was completed in 1981 (Cotten-Huston, 1981), establishing the initial test year. Statistical collaboration was provided by the Biostatistics Laboratory, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Reference’s

Andersen, B. L., & Cyranowski, J. M. (1994). Women’s sexual self-schema. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67, 1079– 1100.

Andersen, B. L., Cyranowski, J. M., & Espindle, D. (1999). Men’s sexual self-schema. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76, 645–661.

Bem, S. (1974). The measurement of psychological androgyny. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 42, 155–162.

Cotten-Huston, A. L. (1981). Androgyny and the sexual self. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, The Union Institute and University, Cincinnati, OH.

Osgood, C. E., Suci, G. J., & Tannenbaum, P. H. (1957). The measurement of meaning. Chicago: University of Illinois Press.

Rostosky, S. S., Dekhtyar, O., Cupp, P. K., & Anderman, E. M. (2008). Sexual self-concept and sexual self-efficacy in adolescents: A possible clue to promoting sexual health? The Journal of Sex Research, 45, 277–286.

Items of the The Meaning of My Sexual Self

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

The scale consists of 18 bipolar choices, derived to measure the three dimensions of meaning (Evaluation, Potency, and Activity). Examples of the most frequent bipolar adjective pairs used include:

• For sexual Evaluation meanings: good-bad, valuable-worthless, and honest-dishonest.
• For sexual Activity meanings: assertive-nonassertive, involved-uninvolved, and flexible-rigid.
• For sexual-self Potency meanings: together-alone, loved-unloved, and strong-weak.