Do you believe you were born aromantic or it was caused by environmental factors?

[Ted guy]

I've suspected my aromantic feelings were distorted by my over-affectionate parents.

My grandfather wasn't affectionate to my dad, so he tried to make up for it by being super affectionate.

It went on to the point I was 14 and he was still crying to hug and kiss me like a baby, and I found it deeply disturbing.

After that I remember distinctly I stopped finding girls as attractive

I ended up in therapy for it. It no longer bothers me, but I believe it played a major factor. 

Edited November 28, 2022 by Ted guy

[whatistheromance]

I think I was born with it.

[AroAcedragon15]

I was born like this.

[aro_elise]

born.  this is just what my romantic and sexual orientation happened to be, always have been.

[Whirl]

I'm not sure. I think I was born with it, but environmental factors definitely played a role in me realizing that I was aro. Maybe if I lead a different life I never would've known I was aromantic. 

 

I'm glad I know I'm aro, cause it made me stop trying to conform to allocentric standards of life, which caused me a lot of pain and made me uncomfortable in my own skin.

[Neon]

Definitely born like this.

[nonmerci]

As Lady Gaga would say, I was born this way.

Now I think that scientists were not able to find the source of orientations but believe it to be a mixed of enviromental and "born this way" factors.

[glypharia.exe]

I think I was born like this.

[whatistheromance]

30 minutes ago, nonmerci said:

As Lady Gaga would say, I was born this way.

Was waiting for someone to say that 😅

[Storm_leopardcat]

I believe attractions are a combination of genetic, biological, and environmental factors, and have no single cause. They are complex matters, and are not as simple as, oh, so my attractions are this way because of X? And my sister is like this because of Y? 

 

I’ve heard about theories which may or may not have lead to people being attracted to the same gender, which I suppose might be true, if you don’t take them as the only factor or cause, because not everyone who is attracted to the same gender necessarily had those factors. They make good theories, though. 

 

I know nothing about the theory of psychology, nor am I studying it or have studied it. 

 

I, for one, am perfectly content with not exploring the cause of, or possible causes of my attractions. If some people are curious, and want to know, so that maybe they have some peace, they can if it works for them.

 

I don’t consider it necessary to know the cause of attractions or explore them, or find them particularly important to make peace with one’s attractions. 

[Harvest-Unity]

I don't really know, and this doesn't really concern me.

[nonmerci]

3 hours ago, whatistheromance said:

Was waiting for someone to say that 😅

You welcome.

[alien]

I think I was born like this

[S-Hawk]

born like this. probably

[Kristoph]

I was obviously born aromantic, just I didn't have possibility to discover my orientation earlier. When I was 13, nobody was talking even about it, it was unknown. Or you were hetero, or bi, or homo. There weren't other options considered.

[AromanticAardvark]

I think I was born like this, but environmental factors definitely played a part in both my finding out about it, and my accepting it so quickly. If I'd found out about it in a different stage of my life (aka after amatonormativity started to be a bigger part of my life) I probably wouldn't have accepted being aro so quickly and painlessly

[Atypique]

I was already aro but my experience definitely made me hate romance and in particular reject people that love me in a romantic way. 

[Keith]

I think I was born like this, but if it wasn't for the experience, I probably would've never found out about it.

[alto]

Mostly born.

Or "meant to be"

[Nessa]

Well I have had a hard childhood but I am sure  that I was born aromantic.