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Research indicates that homosexual adolescents who have a close relationship with their parents and families tend to come out at a younger age and to experience more positive identities than do those who have a poor relationship.
The psychological literature on homosexuality has shifted from a focus on pathology to an emphasis on the formation of a positive and nonpathological identity (Dank, 1971; Sullivan & Schneider, 1987).
THEORIES OF IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT
Theories on the formation of a homosexual identity and the coming out process have outlined stages through which an individual passes (Cass, 1979; Troiden, 1989). ...
According to Zera (1992), Cass (1979) was the first to articulate a model of homosexual identity. Cass proposed that individuals go through six non-age-specific stages: (1) identity awareness--the individual is conscious of being different; (2) identity comparison--the individual believes that he or she may be homosexual, but tries to act heterosexual; (3) identity tolerance--the individual realizes that he or she is homosexual; (4) identity acceptance--the individual begins to explore the gay community; (5) identity pride--the individual becomes active in the gay community; and (6) synthesis--the individual fully accepts himself or herself and others.
Troiden (1989) has postulated that an individual goes through four stages in the formation of a homosexual identity: sensitization, identity confusion, identity assumption, and commitment. ... In the sensitization stage, beginning before puberty, the individual has homosexual feelings or experiences without understanding the implications for self-identity. In the identity confusion stage, which usually occurs during adolescence, the individual realizes that he or she may be homosexual. In the identity assumption stage, the individual comes out as a homosexual. Coming out usually occurs first in the homosexual community, with attempts at coming out in the heterosexual community, if any, following. In the commitment stage, the individual adopts a homosexual lifestyle. ... In the second stage, coming out, individuals have admitted to themselves that they have homosexual feelings, although they may not have a clear understanding of their sexuality. ... In the final stage, they bring together both their public self and private self to create an integrated homosexual identity. ... McDonald asserted that some homosexuals communicate their identity conflict through somatic illnesses, suicide attempts, or various behavior problems. ... They found, in a sample of 60 adolescent gay males, that the mean length of time between first homosexual experience and coming out was four years. ...
PARENTAL AND FAMILIAL INFLUENCES ON THE COMING OUT PROCESS
Over the past fifty years, research has revealed that parenting styles have a strong impact on child and adolescent development (Parish & McCluskey, 1992). ... Recently, researchers have begun to broaden their investigation of familial influences on homosexual youth. ... Many homosexual youth fear rejection by their parents and other relatives should they choose to reveal their sexual orientation. ... Thus, strong parental and familial support may help to reduce the personal and social conflicts that plague many homosexual youth during this difficult period (Roesler & Deisher, 1971). ... Parental and familial support can help to ensure that homosexual youth grow into healthy and productive adults. ... This distinction between male and female role beliefs is important because when most people hear the term homosexual they think of gay men rather than of lesbians or both lesbians and gay men (Black & Stevenson, 1984; Haddock, Zanna, & Esses, 1993). ... The formation of homosexual identities. ... Troiden offers one view of the development of a gay or lesbian identity. ... These experiences often later interfere in identity development. ... This stage occurs usually sometime in adolescence as individuals begin to recognize feelings and behaviors that could be labeled homosexual. ...
1) Denial: One continues to deny feelings and impulses
2) Avoidance: One is aware of homosexual impulses and feelings and avoids situations in which these must be confronted
3) Repair: One attempts to fix ones individual make-up and become heterosexual in behavior, if not in fact. ... Peer relations are disrupted which may interfere with social skill development. ... The heterosexual socialization of childhood did not prepare the youth for homosexual life adaptations and little positive knowledge of such lifestyles is available. ... Intimacy skill development is often stalled during this period. ...
2) Minstralization: The person adopts stereotypic and often exaggerated homosexual mannerisms and behavior
3) Passing: One selectively conceals his/her homosexuality while acknowledging his/her sexual orientation, at least inwardly, to a limited group of associates
4) Group alignment: One immerses her or herself into the lesbian, gay and bisexual communities, often to the exclusion of most heterosexual contexts. ... This stage includes the accomplishment of a same-sex love commitment and is marked by the identification of oneself as gay, lesbian or bisexual to non-homosexual individuals. ... Several studies have shown that there are significant psychological differences in people who seek treatment and those who do not seek treatment. It almost becomes a tautology--people who seek professional psychological help tend to have greater psychological problems than those who see no need to seek psychological help. ...
Shrier and Johnson-While the adolescents represented in this study who were sexually abused indeed report an increased identification of homosexual, such identification may be simply from developmental sexual confusion related to their sexual abuse. ... Studies show that adolescents often experience sexual identity confusion, exhibiting some homosexual behavior during this phase, but later stabilize into heterosexuality (Remafedi, "Adolescent Homosexuality", Advances in Pediatrics 45 (1998): 107-144).
Manosevitz--Some authors imply that childhood sexual behavior (CSB) is a causative agent in a person later becoming homosexual. ... Their study indicates that 25% of the homosexual men engaged in CSB with other male children from age 5-9, and 43% from age 10-12, while no heterosexual men reported CSB with male children when they were 5-9. However, 18% of heterosexual men report CSB with females from 5-9, 23% from age 10-12, 10% of heterosexual men report CSB with other males from 10-12, and,i4% of both homosexual and heterosexual men report CSB with both genders. There is probably no statistical difference between the amount of CSB of heterosexual men with opposite-gendered children and the amount of CSB of homosexual men with same-gendered children (for 5-9 yrs, z=0. ... 1) Exotic Becomes Erotic (EBE),
Bern, "Exotic Becomes Erotic: A Developmental Theory of Sexual Orientation," Psychological Review 103 (1996): 320-35. ... Summary of flow of EBE development A. ... that such feelings of alienation did not in and of themselves play a role in our respondents becoming homosexual. ... This doesnt mean that biological definitive biological evidence wont be found, it does mean that we must be cautious in our assumptions about the extent that biology participates in sexual orientation development. ... Other tests (Eysencks Personality Inventory, Cattels 16PF, California Personality Inventory, etc)
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3. Myths about Homosexual Behaviors
There is an extant myth, propagated by the Christian Right, that homosexuals engage in highly promiscuous behavior. ... What is important to recognize is the substantial heterosexist bias that causes people to ignore heterosexual flaws while highlighting homosexual flaws. ... However, their data is highly suspicious, and cannot be generalized to the entire homosexual population. ... For example, while they claim that one homosexual respondent claims to have had. ... For all we know the heterosexual sample may have had a greater number of sexual partners than the homosexual sample. ... Apart from the fact that the homosexual sample was not random and the heterosexual sample was, the homosexual samples were taken from the following places: singles bars (22%), gay baths (9%), public places (=guys hanging out in parks to find sex partners; 6%), private bars (=sex clubs; 5%), personal contacts (people that the bar people, public place people, bath house people, etc, knew personally and referred; 23%), public advertising + organizations + mailing lists (29%). ... They used Kinsey 2-6 for their inclusion of homosexual population. Their sample does not represent only homosexual persons, but also includes bisexual persons. ...
J Billy-1993: Family Planning Perspectives 25:52-60 R Fay-1989, Science 243:338-348
3. ... In fact, the authors of this paper report that "homosexual and bisexual men are much more likely than heterosexual men to be celibate" given the data in the table below, which compares their data to a second, parallel study of only heterosexual men (n=1235, age=18-4. ... M Dolcini-1993: Family Planning Perspectives 25: 208-14. ... 3% were homosexual acts. ... Moreover, the authors report that "offenders attracted to boy victims typically report that they are uninterested in or revulsed by adult homosexual relationships and find the young boys feminine characteristics . ... Most scientists who work in the field of human sexuality believe that all reports of homosexual behavior are probably underreported due to the ongoing social stigma of being labeled an homosexual. ... If a man self-identifies as heterosexual, but occasionally engages in homosexual behavior, he may not report homosexuality on a survey unless the question is worded such that specific behaviors are listed.
Approximate Word count = 10244
Approximate Pages = 41
(250 words per page double spaced)
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