Grad program w/ researchers in sexual orientation

[swisnieski]

Hey all,

I'm currently devising a research plan to study asexuality in humans (yes, about 1% of people experience no sexual attraction at all). However, I've run into a pretty massive road block: there seem to be very few psych professors in the United States whose research interests include sexual orientation!

This is a pretty big problem since it seems grad schools will turn down even obviously qualified applicants simply because there is no one who can advise their research suitably. Thus even though I have a pretty strong app I think (1460 GREs, 3.7 GPA, one research publication done and two more studies currently in progress, 3+ semesters as a research assistant, very strong letters of recommendation), the research area I want to pursue most desperately may well be so obscure that I won't get in anywhere.

Does anyone know of any psych professors at schools with grad programs in psychology have research interests in sexual orientation, or have programs that touch on sexual orientation broadly?

Thanks,

sw

[psycholinguist]

I'm currently devising a research plan to study asexuality in humans (yes, about 1% of people experience no sexual attraction at all). However, I've run into a pretty massive road block: there seem to be very few psych professors in the United States whose research interests include sexual orientation!

Fascinating! I self-identified as asexual for two or three years while in high school, and I think asexuality deserves some attention! Well worth studying. I even wanted to write an article about it a while back, but my editor nixed it and said, "Isn't that just a really low sex-drive?" Understandable, but misguided, in my opinion. (I've identified as straight since I was 19, but I still completely respect those who like the asexual label. My issue was simply that I have to be pretty profoundly in-love to feel sexual attraction, and that was the first time in my life that I'd gotten that far.)

Don't know much about the researchers at most of the schools you mention, but at Cornell you've got Daryl L. Bem and Sandra Bem. Good old Daryl retired some time ago, but he's still involved with the department (last I checked, he was still doing guest-lectures for the undergrad social psych class); however, I'm not sure if he takes grad-students. Sandra might be a good bet, though (although I've never actually met her).

I'm in Canada now, but we have one woman here who studies sexuality - B.J. Rye. She technically works out of an offshoot of the University of Waterloo called St. Jerome's University, but the degree ultimately attained is from the U of W.

[swisnieski]

Thanks for the heads up psycholinguist. Incidentally I just e-mailed Deryl Bem a day or two ago asking if he was still taking on grad students; he told me he is not. Sandra Bem is an option although I am not overly fond of the social constructionist approach to human sexuality. I may consider broadening out my approach to include relationship research generally, which gives me a good deal more options -- Vivian Zayas at Cornell, Brooke Feeney at CMU, etc, although they may not feel like I'm a good match for them. I'd like to stay in the states, which rules out some of the better-known researchers on the topic of asexuality (e.g., Tony Bogaert at Brock Univ. in Canada, Cynthia Graham at Oxford). Others aren't really social psychologists at all; Nicole Prause @ Idaho State, for instance, is a clinician.

Looks like Indiana @ Bloomington is probably my best bet, although I was hoping I might find a better fit somewhere nearerby. Oh well.

[psycholinguist]

Heh. You have a good idea of what you're doing. I'd just keep emailing people, especially the more-general social people, and see how they react to your interests. (Have you been over to AVEN, by the way? There are probably people on the forum there who've done a lot of reading on the subject and might be able to suggest other researchers.)

[psydd]

Check out Deborah Tolman at CUNY (Social/Personality). She's an EdM, but her research touches upon your interests nonetheless. In addition to her, there's actually a good handful of other people at CUNY who deal with similar things, so it's probably worth checking out.

[swisnieski]

Thanks for the tip psydd!

[psydd]

no problem.

[cheesethunder]

the research area I want to pursue most desperately may well be so obscure that I won't get in anywhere.

im kinda in the same boat as you what i want to do is not really being done anywhere and its really saddening! i want to do moral cognition but its such a experimental phil/ phil general area

but have you contacted faculty at these schools, maybe theyd be into your spin on the area? they could also give you some advice for people in the area. who are you interested in at yale?

[swisnieski]

On 10/25/2009 at 2:33 AM, cheesethunder said:

im kinda in the same boat as you what i want to do is not really being done anywhere and its really saddening! i want to do moral cognition but its such a experimental phil/ phil general area

but have you contacted faculty at these schools, maybe theyd be into your spin on the area? they could also give you some advice for people in the area. who are you interested in at yale?

Yes, I've contacted faculty at all the schools. Since I'm interested in attachment theory generally as well as sexual behavior, I've been contacting professors researching close relationships -- Margaret Clark at Yale, Vivian Zayas at Cornell, and Tammy English at WUSTL. All three have told me they are accepting new grad students. I also contacted Julia Heiman at IUB, who researches sexual behavior (but no response from her). Still looking for someone at Maryland; probably won't have much luck there.

[cheesethunder]

ah cool! you're research sounds pretty interesting i hope you can find a good fit somewhere!

[yummybrew]

Hey all,

I'm currently devising a research plan to study asexuality in humans (yes, about 1% of people experience no sexual attraction at all). However, I've run into a pretty massive road block: there seem to be very few psych professors in the United States whose research interests include sexual orientation!

This is a pretty big problem since it seems grad schools will turn down even obviously qualified applicants simply because there is no one who can advise their research suitably. Thus even though I have a pretty strong app I think (1460 GREs, 3.7 GPA, one research publication done and two more studies currently in progress, 3+ semesters as a research assistant, very strong letters of recommendation), the research area I want to pursue most desperately may well be so obscure that I won't get in anywhere.

Does anyone know of any psych professors at schools with grad programs in psychology have research interests in sexual orientation, or have programs that touch on sexual orientation broadly?

Thanks,

sw

Just a thought, but you might try looking at schools that have a strong sexuality researcher with a "flexible" program. Although sexuality is not my main interest, one school that comes to mind is univ of Vermont. It may sound out of the blue, but if you go to alessandra relleni's (i think thats how you sp her name..) web page on the psychology department website. The psych programs at uvm really give their students a lot of autonomy in their interests. Yes they should fit, but looking for schools that advocate for their students to study something that is a bit of an "off shoot" of what they do may not be a bad idea. Plus, uvm is in a really liberal location, so i'm sure people/the dept would not be shocked at the asexual/sexual orientation interest you have. Hope this helps, and good luck.