Sexual Identity Development

Improved Essays
Journal Article Critique
Identity Profiles in Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Youth:
The Role of Family Influences
Melissa C. De Witt
CNSL 5143
Prairie View A&M University The article, “Identity Profiles in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth: The Role of Family Influences,” by Hallie Bregman, Neena Malik, Matthew Page, Emily Makynen and Kristin Lindahl, seeks to address the issues of sexual identity development during adolescence and young adulthood and the influences the role of the family can have when dealing with this psychological development. The research being addressed is whether or not parental rejection or parental support can be a statistical predictor of identity development. Mohn and Fassinger suggest sexual identity development is
…show more content…
Once the reader reaches the end of the article, it is apparent that recognizing and understanding sexual identity and the role parents play in their child’s sense of self. The article was well-written and has an important message for parents of LGB teens and counselors who handle this particular subset of family counseling. The article, when taken as a whole, is very convincing and the information is relevant to current counselors or educators who strive to improve interaction with LGB children and students.
References
Bregman, H., Malik, N., Page, M., Makynen, E. and Lindahl, K. (2013). Identity Profiles in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth: The Role of Family Influences. Journal of Youth & Adolescence, 42(3): 417-30.
Cooley, C.H. (1902). Human nature and the social order. New York: Scribner’s.
Mead, G.H. (1934). Mind, self and society. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Mohr, J.J., & Kendra, M.S. (2011). Revision and extension of a multidimensional measure of sexual minority identity: The Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Identity Scale. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 58(2), 234-245.

Article retrieved from PVAMU Library electronic databases (EBSCOhost):

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    By nature, this allows for more objective study of their intended subjects. They noted in their Limitations section, however, that this has its drawbacks (p. 1274); even though their study encompasses exponentially more individuals than any other work described here, they still consider their sample too small, and they use a (sexual) behavioral method of classification rather than a more complex, self-identified method of classification for their “participants,” like that of Kazyak and Gray and Annes & Redlin. While other researchers expressed concerns over missing a potential non-queer-identifying population, Wienke & Hill were conscientious of conflating sexual behavior with sexual identity. The authors also had no way of collecting information about their subjects’ past feelings of well-being, which were crucial to the other studies’ analysis of identity formation; they were, however, still able to categorize subjects based on whether they had migrated between rural areas and cities or…

    • 1351 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Male Androphilia

    • 1602 Words
    • 7 Pages

    This results in an inner-conflict and the individual may feel shame in response to homosexual desires. Many gay men deem their sexual orientation more acceptable if they believe it is out of their control. Gay men who believe it is a choice experience self-blame, perceiving their sexuality as a personal failing, and as a result turn on higher levels of internalized homonegativity. A test was conducted by Daniel S. J. Costa and Ilan Dar-Nimrod assessing sexual orientation, beliefs, sexual identity uncertainty, internalized homonegativity, and psychological wellbeing outcomes. The modeling that was used was Structural equation.…

    • 1602 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Diversity In Childhood

    • 2049 Words
    • 9 Pages

    In this article Rahilly (2015) discusses the process in which a parent must learn and accept the new identity taken upon by their child. Her approach is taken in three forms: gender literacy, gender hedging and ‘playing along’. She conducts her research through a method that contains the answers from parents who mainly identify as heterosexual. Amongst these findings the participants are children under the age of nineteen and are either gender-variant or transgender. In terms of demographics, “the participants are largely white, middle class, and well educated” (p. 344).…

    • 2049 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Some go home debating whether they should tell their homophobic parents that they are homosexual, which would result in the hatred of their parents. Researchers gathered data about homosexuals coming out to their families, “Participants who had low family acceptance as teens were more than three times as likely to report both suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts compared with those who reported high levels of family acceptance” (Bryner). Adolescents’ experience of homophobic culture therefore extends beyond peer culture into individuals’ families. They struggle with their sexuality and the thought of the loss of their parents…

    • 1316 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    “The traditional family consisting of a father, a mother and children is ‘a fashion that does not happen’. ” Are words from the founders fashion designer Domenico Dolce of Dolce & Gabbana brand, according to New York Daily News. Gender equality at this time brings us changes in the family, not only heterosexual couples want adopter children also gays couple want to do it. Should same-sex couples adopt children and raise a family? Everyone has the right to have a father and a mother, but not everyone has the right to be fathers or mothers, the gay designer is aware like many people that gay adoption should not be recommended for many reasons like psychological disorders, identity and socialization problems. These problems could lead to various…

    • 496 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    As defined in the 8th edition of Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (2010), the acronym “LGBT” refers to Lesbian (L), Gay (G), Bisexual (B) and Transgender (T). The first three components of the term “LGBT” are used to describe an individual’s sexual orientation. While gays and lesbians are those who develop emotional, romantic and sexual attractions to people of their own sex, bisexuals share these attractions with members of both sexes. The “T” in the term LGBT, however, refers to individuals whose gender identity or gender expression does not align with their assigned birth sex.…

    • 184 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Even though Marcus is clear on that fact that he is gay, he is struggling with how that identity fits within his larger environmental and familial system. As a counselor, it is important to recognize these multiple variables and the impacts they have on an adolescent’s development. Broderick and Blewitt (2015) stated, “clinicians should provide youth with support, information, and a safe place to explore their concerns…positive development requires attention to the full range of adolescent experiences, including promoting positive peer and family relationships,” (p. 359). As a counselor, building a trusting environment, while attending to the various factors of development, and providing outside resources for additional support, would be critical to addressing identity development…

    • 667 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    As a social worker, working with teenagers who are dealing with coming out as a gay or lesbian and utilizing the empowerment theory, which primarily focuses on the oppressed teenager on a one-on-one form of micro level or focal system, does not exclude or count out the larger levels on a macro scale, which can be individuals within a large group of teenagers coming out as a gay or lesbian, their family members within their subsystem and or suprasystems environment. “The empowerment theory does not go to a great extent when it comes to the importance of biological factors in human development, since it is based on structural conditions of oppression, and focusing on the client’s strengths” (Robbins, Chatterjee & Canda, 2012). However, there is a more in-depth insight when it comes to the teenagers who are dealing with coming out as a gay or lesbian when it comes to their psychological, spiritual, family and group dynamic needs. This brings relevance and application to…

    • 1894 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Homeless Youth Essay

    • 556 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The youth of the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) community continue to face struggles, and a result sexual orientation and gender identity continues to be is a huge and sensitive issue in today's society. It is not easy for a young person to “come out” about their gender identity because of the fear of how their parents might feel about their sexuality. The LGBTQ youth’s primary concern is sure to be whether their families reaction will be positive or negative towards their sexual orientation /gender identity (Wilber, 2013). Jason R. Rich, the author of “Growing up Gay in America” states that to a gay teenager, one of the scariest and potentially hardest things they will experience is the prospect of coming out to their parents and family members.…

    • 556 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This study examined the correlation that exists between cognitive flexibility and sexual identity. The researchers, Julie Konik and Mary Crawford aimed to answer the call for representation of sexual minorities within psychological research to learn more about the psyche of socially outnumbered groups. Based upon past research that suggested a possible positive correlation between homosexuals and normative creativity, Konik and Crawford formulated the hypothesis which proposed that homosexual people had higher levels of normative creativity. They explained this correlation within the theory that heterosexual people lived with less concern for social norms because of their minority status.…

    • 590 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Daddy’s Little Girl (Or Is It Boy Today?) The focal point of this past unit has been the denial of sex and sexual themes around children. We discussed reasons why adults may attempt to shield children from all things sex. What we discovered, however, is that adults not only shield children from sexual themes simply because of their age and their perceived innocence, but they also attempt to control and rid their child of any gender “queerness” that does not fit into heteronormative and reproductive-oriented society, or their own views and ideals on “proper” boy-girl behaviour.…

    • 942 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This research sought to explore stereotypical representations of lesbian women with lesbian ideology through and of everyday life and media portrayals. To investigate how lesbians respond to the way lesbians are represented in society and media culture and if such imagery has had an impact on their self-identity. To respond is through self-presentation, thoughts, actions, performance, and all other aspects that make up who and how a person may identify themselves. Identity in this sense, was to be used to describe self-representation, feelings and opinions throughout the lifespan,…

    • 1329 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    A current issue in education is the lack of support of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students (LGBT). Transgender refers to a person’s gender identify--a person’s innate sense of being male, female, or somewhere in between( Banks& Banks, 2013). School are starting altering these practices: inviting same-sex couples to prom, providing gender neutral or individual bathrooms and locker rooms for transgender student, and including LGBT people and perspectives in the curriculum (McCollum, 2010). With acceptance, this population still face discrimination and prejudice. In school, LGBT students are harassed and bullied.…

    • 1154 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Week-8- To ensure that the individuals in this group have their sexual orientation is part of their total identity. Relevant Research Questions: • Are the needs of the g/l/b students met by the support-therapy group? • After the therapy, were the g/l/b individuals at ease with their sexual orientation at school? • Was the self-esteem of these adolescent g/l/b students improved by the group counseling sessions? •…

    • 1418 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Sexual orientation and gender expression in social work practice: Working with gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. Columbia University Press, 2006. Smiler, Andrew P., and Susan A. Gelman. " Determinants of gender essentialism in college students."…

    • 1717 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays