Editing Lovemap (section)

== Development and expression ==
Money describes the formation of an individual's lovemap as similar to the acquisition of a native language, in that it becomes established at an early age{{sfn|Money|1986|p = 14}} and bears the mark of the person's unique individuality, like an accent in a spoken language.{{sfn|Money|1986|p = 19}} According to Money, lovemaps are not present at birth, but begin to develop shortly thereafter, and manifest in full after puberty.{{sfn|Money|1986|p=xvi}} The individual may not discover certain aspects of their lovemap until triggered by a relevant experience (such as pornography use) later in life.{{sfn|Lehne|2009|p = 16}}

Psychologist Gregory Lehne states that lovemaps may be influenced by genetic or prenatal factors, but that their specific content must come from the senses.{{sfn|Lehne|2009|p = 14}} Lehne says that some perceptions are encoded in the person's lovemap after becoming sexualized for uncertain reasons, possibly because of their [[Association (psychology)|associations]] with provoked or random [[Autonomic nervous system|autonomic]] [[arousal]], [[sexual arousal]], or hormonal fluctuations.{{sfn|Lehne|2009|p = 14}} These associations typically form during experiences before the age of eight, Money proposes.{{sfn|Lehne|2009|p = 15}}{{sfn|Money|1986|p=19}} As an example, Lehne argues that a child who accidentally becomes sexually aroused during [[spanking]] may go on to develop an interest in [[erotic spanking]].{{sfn|Lehne|2009|p = 15}} Once formed, the lovemap is extremely difficult to alter.{{sfn|Money|1986|p=19}}

A lovemap is usually quite specific as to details of the physiognomy, build, race, color, temperament, and manner of the ideal lover.{{sfn|Money|1986|p = 19}} Money suggests that love is like an [[Rorschach test|inkblot test]], where pair-bonding occurs if projections (shaped by a person's lovemap) on the other are mutual, typically in a courtship phase of mating.<ref>{{cite book|last=Money|first=John|title=Gay, Straight, and In-Between: The Sexology of Erotic Orientation|url=https://archive.org/details/gaystraightinbet0000mone|url-access=registration|year=1988|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=New York|isbn=0-19-505407-5|pages=[https://archive.org/details/gaystraightinbet0000mone/page/127 127–128]}}</ref>