Sexual preference includes much more than just a physical attraction or the wish to have sex with someone. And homo- just as hetero-orientations don't lie on a single scale (like from 0 to 100%) where each human being occupies a single spot. How about taking a break to give your own sexual preference some thought? Here are two selftests (the second with a graphical summary attached) that may help you evaluate your own feelings. (The graphical summary will only work if Javascript is activated in your browser. The code is ours and doesn't affect your anonymity or safe any data)
Please think about what kind of attributes attract you sexually and emotionally. Even if you define yourself as hetero- or homosexual, leave those categories behind for a moment and freely think about what you feel when you think of or see this or that. Also see Definitions > sexual preference.
Now let's go a bit deeper and differentiate between rough age groups to literally get a picture of the structure of your sexual preference. Note that no data will be saved beyond just the sliders staying in place on your screen.
And also note that a paraphilia is not just any tiny bit of attraction to something “out of the ordinary” since a human's attraction isn't usually restricted to only one thing in the universe. Most have a spread of main attractions plus some more minor additional quirks like a fetish or two (which aren't even in this test). Naming a paraphilia usually only makes sense when it is one of the dominant attractions of a person.
How much do you feel sexually attracted to or aroused by people of the following ages?
That physical attraction may include for example:
| Infants and toddlers (age 0-3) | |
| Males | |
| Females | |
| Preschoolers (age 3-6) | |
| Males | |
| Females | |
| Primary school students (age 7-10) | |
| Males | |
| Females | |
| Early puberty (age 11-13) | |
| Males | |
| Females | |
| Late puberty (teenagers) (age 14-17) | |
| Males | |
| Females | |
| Adults (age 17+) | |
| Males | |
| Females |
How much do you feel emotionally attached or romantically attracted to people of the following ages
Such emotional attraction may inculde for example:
| Infants and toddlers (age 0-3) | |
| Males | |
| Females | |
| Preschoolers (age 3-6) | |
| Males | |
| Females | |
| Primary school students (age 7-10) | |
| Males | |
| Females | |
| Early puberty (age 11-13) | |
| Males | |
| Females | |
| Late puberty (teenagers) (age 14-17) | |
| Males | |
| Females | |
| Adults (age 17+) | |
| Males | |
| Females |
Meaning of the colours:
This is obviously just a rudimentary test and in no way a tool for diagnosis. It can only serve to explore your own mind a bit and get a first idea of what attracts you. Again: a paraphilia is not any tiny bit of attraction to something out of “the ordinary” since most people have a broader attraction – a paraphilia usually only gets a name when it is a or the dominant attraction of a person. For a little more orientation have a read of the section Sexual Preference on the Definitions page. And (obviously) have a proper sex therapist question you for a real exploration of what a possible paraphilia may be called. Here is a rough match-up of the different age-orientations to the age groups:
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