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The Relationship Between Intercourse Preference Positions and Personality Traits Among Gay Men in China

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Abstract

Distinctions are commonly made regarding preferences for insertive or receptive anal intercourse within the gay male community. Three sexual self-labels are typically specified: “top,” meaning a man who prefers the insertive position, “bottom,” meaning a man who prefers the receptive position, and “versatile,” meaning a man willing to perform either position. The aim of this study was to examine personality differences among these three groups in gay men in China. We sampled 220 Internet-obtained Chinese gay men on instrumentality, expressiveness, gender-related interests, self-ascribed masculinity- femininity (Self-MF), and Big Five personality traits. Significant differences were found among sexual self-label groups in sexual behavior and in gendered traits and interests. Tops scored higher than the bottoms on instrumentality, gender-related interests, and self-ascribed masculinity-femininity (Self-MF) and bottoms scored higher than tops on expressiveness. Versatiles’ scores in gender-related traits were intermediate between that of tops and bottoms. There were no significant differences in Big Five traits among the three groups. Sexual self-labels appear not only to distinguish sexual behavior patterns but may also suggest gender role differences among Chinese gay men.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by Key Discipline Fund of National 211 Project (NSKD11010), China. This research is also supported by Humanities and Social Sciences Planning Fund (05JAXLX010), Ministry of Education, China. Dr. Hart is supported by a New Investigator Salary Award in HIV Research from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, Chongqing, 400715, China

    Lijun Zheng & Yong Zheng

  2. School of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China

    Lijun Zheng & Yong Zheng

  3. Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Trevor A. Hart

  4. Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Trevor A. Hart

Authors
  1. Lijun Zheng
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  2. Trevor A. Hart
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  3. Yong Zheng
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Correspondence to Yong Zheng.

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Zheng, L., Hart, T.A. & Zheng, Y. The Relationship Between Intercourse Preference Positions and Personality Traits Among Gay Men in China. Arch Sex Behav 41, 683–689 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-011-9819-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-011-9819-0

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