CNA Ch. 4: Understanding the People in Our Care
Bisexual
A person who is attracted to people of both sexes
Heterosexual
A person who is attracted to people of the opposite sex
Homosexual
A person who is attracted to people of the same sex
Gender identity
A person's inner sense of being male or female
Sexual identity
A person's sexual orientation and preferences with regard to sexual partners
Intimacy
All the good feelings that people have for one another, such as liking, loving, sharing and caring
Spirituality
Belief in something greater than oneself that helps a person assign meaning and purpose to life
Sexuality
How people perceive themselves and express themselves sexually
Transgender
Males who feel themselves to be female, females who feel themselves to be male, or people who do not strongly identify themselves as either male or female
Transsexual
People who alter their physical appearance to more closely match the gender they most strongly identify with
Sexual behaviors
Physical activities, such as sexual intercourse and masturbation, related to obtaining sexual pleasure and reproducing
Human growth
Physical changes, such as growing bigger and cutting teeth in infancy, or developing breasts or a beard in adolescence
Culture
Shared set of beliefs, values, customs and practices that characterizes a group of people or a society
Human development
Social changes (the way the person relates to others), emotional changes (the way the person feels and expresses those feelings) and cognitive changes (the way the person thinks and understands the world)
Masturbation
Touching or rubbing one's own genitals for sexual release or pleasure
