Kinsey, Alfred

[ (kin-zee) ]

An American scientist of the twentieth century who investigated the sexual behavior of men and women. In 1947 and 1948, he published books on his findings — Sexual Behavior in the Human Male and Sexual Behavior in the Human Female — popularly known as the Kinsey Reports, which shattered existing conceptions of the nature and extent of American sexual practices.

notes for Kinsey, Alfred

Kinsey was the first scientific investigator of sexual behavior to have a wide popular impact. By documenting the great variety of human sexual experiences, Kinsey's work led many Americans to revise their views of “normal” sexual behavior, and in this way he contributed to the sexual revolution.