Stage of Sexual Minority Identity Formation: The Impact of Shame, Internalized Homophobia, Ambivalence Over Emotional Expression, and Personal Mastery

Abstract

Literature on sexual minorities has focused on characteristics regarding the developmental process of sexual identity formation, with little agreement as to underlying constructs. The present study (N = 855) used an online survey to investigate Cass's (1984 Cass, V. C. 1984. Homosexual identity formation: Testing a theoretical model. Journal of Sex Research, 9: 105–126. [Google Scholar]) theoretical model of stages of identity formation to explore shame and associated variables of internalized homophobia, ambivalence over emotional expression, and personal mastery across stages of identity development in order to clarify relationships among these variables. Findings offer partial support of Cass's stage model of sexual minority identity development as a process of differential stage progression and suggest that the relationships between shame, internalized homophobia, ambivalence over emotional expression and personal mastery are significant in understanding identity stage development. Applications to psychotherapy are discussed.

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