UsingMay'sexi

stent
ialanal
yti
ctheor
y,anal
yzeJi
l
li
an'
sbehav
iorbyanswer
ingt
hef
oll
owi
ng
questi
ons.
1.Whati
sMay
'sconceptoft
hehumandi
lemma?Fi
ndanexampl
eofi
tint
hecasest
udy
.
Accordingt oMay ,thehumandi l
emmaar i
sesoutofourcapaci tytoexper i
enceour selvesas
bothsubj ectandobj ectatt hesamet ime.Thehumandi l
emmaal lowsust ober esponsiblefor
ourownexi st
ence.I nshor t,humandi lemmasgi veself
-awarepeopleasenseofsel f.For
exampl e,becauseofourhumandi l
emma, wecanseet hi
ngshappeningt ouswhi lewear ealso
experi
enci ngthoseev ents.Inthecasest udy,Jil
l
iannoti
cedthatherf r
iendswer eat t
ractedt o
vari
ousmal ecelebrities,wher easshewasat t
ract
edtofemalecelebri
ti
es.Shef eelsli
ket hereis
somet hingwr ongwi thhergenderi denti
ty,soshet ri
est omaskherf eeli
ngst of eelnor mal
becauseshei saf r
ai dt hatherf ami l
y,fri
ends,andpeopl earoundherwi l
lgivehernegat ive
feedback,whi ch is why she hi des herhomosexualat t
racti
on.Jilli
an exper i
enced t hat
homosexualat tr
actionsubj ecti
vel
ybutal soexami nedi
tobjecti
vel
y.Jil
li
anissubj ecti
velyawar e
thatpeopl emayhav enegat ivethoughtsaboutherbecauset heywi l
lknowt hatshei sattracted
tohersame- sexor i
ent ation.Sheisobj ecti
v el
yawareofthefactthatshepr efer
swomenr ather
thanmen.  
2.Assumet hathomosexual
it
yhasaphy si
calcause.
*Usethethr
eemodesofexi st
enceand
theconceptofal
ienat
iont
oexplai
nJi
ll
ian'
sexperi
encewit
hhersexualor
ient
ati
on.
Therearet hreemodesofexi stence;umwel t,mit
welt,andei genwel t
.Umwel tist hewor ldof
exist
ingobject sandt hings.Thi siswher eourbi ologicalneedsar edr i
ven.Ei genwel tr eferst o
one’srel
ationshipwi thonesel f.Itisanawar enessofonesel fasahumanbei ngandt ogr asp
whowear easwer el
at et ot hewor l
doft hingsandt ot hewor l
dofpeopl e.Mi twel tisabout
rel
ati
onshipst hatweshar ewi t
hot herpeopl e.Wer el
atet opeopl easpeopl e, notast hings, with
whom wecanf ormi nter per sonalr el
at i
onshi ps.I
nt hecasest udy ,Ji
ll
ianisst ruggl i
ngwi thher
sexuali
ty.Anexampl eofumwel tisherphy sicalhomosexual i
ty,asshehasadr ivef orori nterest
i
nf emalest arsrathert hanmal estar s,andshef eelsarousedwhenshei magi neswomen.And
anexampl eofei genwel tist hatJi ll
ian i
sawar eandconsci ousofhersexualor i
ent ati
onandt hat
shelikeswomen.Thati swhyshenev ertol dErin'
sf r
iendst hatshewasi nl ov ewi tht hem,
becauseshewasaf raidt hatt heirfriendshi pwoul dbel ostifshet oldthem t hatshehada
homosexualat t
raction.Themi tweltint hiscasest udyist herelationshipbetweenJi l
li
anandher
fri
endsEr i
nandAnna.Ji lli
anhi desherl oveandhomosexual it
yf rom Er i
nbecauseshei saf raid
thatthei
rfriendsmi ghtl oseandEr inmi ghtjudgehersexualor i
entati
on.ButwhenJi l
lianf i
nally
acceptshergenderor ient ation,shemeet sAnana,anAf r
icanAmer i
canlesbian,wi t
hwhom she
formsal ong-termr elationshi p.
3.UseMay'sconcept
sofresponsi
bil
it
yandaut
hent
ici
tyt
oexpl
ainJi
ll
ian'
sdeci
sionst
ocome
out,
tohaveachil
d,andt
ogetmar r
ied.
Accordingt oMay ’
sconceptofr esponsibi
lit
yandaut henti
cit
y,thisiswhenwest ar
tt otake
responsibi
li
tyforouract i
ons.Maysuggest edthatwear eallresponsibleforwhowear eand
whatwebecome.I nsi mplewor ds,wecancont rolwhatourl ivesarelike.Forinstance,inthe
casestudy ,Ji
l
lianist ir
edofhi di
nghert rueidentit
yf r
om ev er
yone,soshedoessomet hingto
showwhoshei sandcomeoutt ot hepeopleshel oves.Event houghsheknowst hatsheand
Ananaar ebothl esbians,shewant edtohaveachi l
dev enthoughhersexualr elati
onshipscould
notprov i
deone.Shedet erminedasol ut
iont ofulfi
llt
hisneed.Sheassumedt hatheract i
ons
weretheonesr esponsi bleforherlif
eandhappi ness.Shedi dnotuseot hers'v
aluesy stems,li
ke
thei
nfl
uenceofsoci
etyandcul
ture,t
oli
veherli
fe;sheusedherownactions.IfJil
li
anwer eto
l
ivebysociet
y'
sval
ues,shewouldnothavebeenopenabouthersexualorient
ation,wouldnot
havemarri
edsomeoneofthesamesex,andwouldnothavehadachildoutsidetheconfinesof
anopposi
tesexmarr
iage.
4.Def
ineMay '
sfourt
ypesofl
ove.Whi
chtypeofl
ovebesti
ll
ust
rat
esJi
ll
ian'
srel
ati
onshi
pwi
th
Eri
n?Withherbrot
her
?WithAnana?Wi
thherbaby
?
Therear ef ourt ypesoflove:agape,phi lia,er os,andsex.Sexi sabiologicalf unct
iont hrough
sexual i
ntercourse.Erosisapsy chologi cal desir
et hatseeksanendur i
nguni onwi thal ovedone.
Itmayi ncludesex,buti tisbui ltoncar eandt ender ness.Phili
aisani nti
mat enonsexual
fri
endshipbet weent wopeopl et hattakest imet odev elopanddoesnotdependont heact i
ons
oftheot herper son.Agapeisanal truisticorspi ri
tuall ovet hati
sundeservinganduncondi ti
onal.
Jil
li
an'sr el
ationshipwi t
hEr inispr obabl yer osev ent houghi twasnotasexualr elat
ionship.
Jil
li
anwasphy sicall
yattr
actedt oEr i
n.Ji llian'srelationshipwi thherbrotheri sbasedonphi l
ia,
becausephi l
iaisacl oserelati
onshipbet weent wopeopl et hatdoesnotdependont heact i
ons
oft heot herper son.AndJi l
li
an'sr elationshi pwi thAnanai seros.Whi leJi ll
ian'
supcomi ng
rel
ationshipwi thherbabyi sagape,whi chmeansshecangi veuncondi tionallovet ot heir
chil
drenwi thoutconcer nforgetti
ngsomet hingback.