Troiden, R. R. (1989). The formation of homosexual identities.
Journal of Homosexuality, 17 (1/2), 43-73.
This page summarizes Troiden's model on the formation of homosexual
identity. It is available here as I find it is a useful way to
understand one's own identity development.
Adapting to a gay, lesbian or bisexual identity is often a prolonged
process. Adolescents and young adults may struggle with conflicts
around sexual orientation well before they are able to label
themselves as gay or lesbian to helpers or other adults.
Troiden offers one view of the development of a gay or lesbian
identity. This is a stage model and one must be careful not to view
it as a prescription for the "right" way to come out. Keep in mind
these do not necessarily occur in this order nor is it a "one-way
street." The stages are briefly described below:
Stage 1: Sensitization
This stage occurs before puberty and involves often being
marginalized and made to feel different from peers. These experiences
often later interfere in identity development. It this stage, the
child is more concerned with gender identification than with
sexuality. In fact, sexuality is not yet likely to be related to a
sense of "differentness." Teasing and negative labeling for marginal
traits, whether experienced directly or witnessed, contribute to the
internalization of a negative self-concept.
Stage 2: Identify Confusion
Because one's identity feels unstable or incongruent, a gay or
lesbian person may feel compelled to enter the next stage. This stage
occurs usually sometime in adolescence as individuals begin to
recognize feelings and behaviors that could be labeled homosexual. It
occurs on average for females at around age 18 and for males at
around age 17. There is a shift in focus to one's sexuality at this
stage. The youth may experience conflict between the identify he or
she has developed as a child and that which is demanded as an
adolescent. He or she may not see evidence for a clear category for
inclusion in the world. There are four strategies people commonly use
to cope with this stress.
- 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 one's individual make-up and
become heterosexual in behavior, if not in fact.
- 4) Acceptance: The individual has the option to "accept" his
or her impulses as a part of who he or she is.
The adolescent at this stage may experience conflicts between his
or her former identify (either a false identity or one focused on
positive, nonsexual attributes of the earlier period), and newly
emerging sexual impulses which are know to be socially denigrated.
One is also faced with other normal developmental tasks of
formulating a comprehensive identity for oneself and developing
intimacy with others.
These developmental tasks are often difficult, if not impossible, for
the lesbian or gay adolescent. Many have adjustment difficulties due
to the additional burdens that are faced. Peer relations are
disrupted which may interfere with social skill development. Teasing
and harassment continue to be experienced or witnessed. Often, these
adolescents end up feeling like they are a minority of one. The
heterosexual socialization of childhood did not prepare the youth for
homosexual life adaptations and little positive knowledge of such
lifestyles is available.
People may respond to these pressures by becoming more rigid,
restricting their expression of emotions, reducing interpersonal
contact, or forming a false identity. Intimacy skill development is
often stalled during this period. Students may retreat to
conflict-free areas such as academics or student activities and may
become perfectionistic or turn their attention to taking care of
others, rather than of themselves.
Stage 3: Identity Assumption
This stage occurs on average for males at ages 19-21 and for
females at ages 21-23. It is related to a reduction in social
isolation and an increase in contact with other lesbians and gay men.
A primary task of this stage is learning to manage social stigma.
There again are a variety of coping techniques people employ
here:
- 1) Capitualization: Individual capitulates to a negative view
of homosexuality but acknowledges his or her membership in this
group.
- 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.
As most lesbian and gay adolescents do not enjoy a supportive
family environment for this process, they may have difficulty
resolving adaptive separation from the family. Negative adaptations
include coming out to individuals or in settings known to be
antagonistic to lesbian and gay people.
AIDS is now seen as a factor which may delay or add to the adversity
of the coming out process for adolescents. The impact of low-self
esteem and problems with managing impulses may result in a failure to
follow safer-sex practices.
Stage 4: Commitment
This final stage involves the integration of homosexuality to the
extent that it becomes a state or way of being, rather than a
description of sexual behavior. Thus, it is consistently reflected in
both love and life choices. 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.
There is an increased level of self-satisfaction and happiness.
Homosexuality, per se, may become a relatively less important part of
one's overall identity. One will see a decreased use of passing
strategies and an increased blending of one's sexuality into one's
identity and lifestyle. This stage occurs at ages 21-24 for men and
ages 22-23 for females.
Note, there is an overlap for women in the proposed ages in this
model. Early sexual relationships for women are more likely within
the context of a committed involvement. Gay men tend to engage in
less committed sexual involvements in the Identity Assumption
stage.
Summary by David C. Barnett. All rights are reserved by the
Journal of Homosexuality.
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