Relational aggression and victimization in gay male relationships: the role of internalized homophobia

This article presents two studies that are the first to examine relational aggression and relational victimization in gay male peer relationships. A qualitative pilot study provides a strong rationale for a subsequent empirical investigation of 100 young adult, self-identified gay males. Results of both studies demonstrate that relational aggression and relational victimization are common experiences in gay male relationships. They also reveal forms of relational aggression and victimization that appear to be unique to gay males (e.g., outing). Results of the empirical study found significant relations between engaging in relational aggression against gay males and experiencing relational victimization and between experiencing relational victimization and internalized homophobia. However, there was no significant correlation between internalized homophobia and engaging in relational aggression. A multiple regression analysis found that experiencing relational victimization was correlated more strongly with the combination of engaging in relational aggression and internalized homophobia together than with relational aggression alone. Results are discussed within the framework of Allport's "traits due to victimization" theory and Meyer's theory of "minority stress." Implications for the prevention of relational aggression/victimization in gay male relationships are offered.     

Internalized homophobia in men: wanting in the first person singular, hating in the first person plural

This paper focuses on the expression of internalized homophobia in men, arguing that the most powerful clinical use of this term depends upon its applicability to any man, without limitation to those whose primary object choice is homosexual. A number of dynamic situations are described to which the term might apply, elaborated by examples from contemporary culture and clinical practice. A central dynamic elucidated here is the move from an anxiety-ridden, first person singular voice to the promised safety of a first person plural voice--that is, from the dangerous position of "I want" to the more protected "we hate."     

Religious homophobia: The experiences of a sample of lesbian,gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Ireland

This paper presents the findings of an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) of the experiences of religious homophobia among a sample of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Ireland. In-depth interviews were conducted with 10 LGBT-identified people in Dublin (age range early 20s to 50s; six male and four female), of whom five identified as religious and five as atheist. IPA generated the overarching theme of Religious Homophobia which was experienced and responded to differently by religious and atheist participants. Findings were that, while participants lived in an increasingly pluralistic Irish society, the negative dividend of religious homophobia created intrapsychic tension for participants and led some to abandon religion altogether. Nevertheless the experiences of participants point to the changing nature of Irish society which is characterised by increased diversity, openness and respect for minority rights including LGBT rights.     

On the efficacy of psychoanalysis.

In this study we critically review the formal research literature pertinent to the outcomes of psychoanalysis and the factors influencing these outcomes. Our inquiry was conducted from a psychoanalytic perspective. We found the research yield consistent with the accumulated body of clinically derived psychoanalytic knowledge, e.g., patients suitable for psychoanalysis derive substantial therapeutic benefit; analyzability and therapeutic benefit are relatively separate dimensions and their extent is relatively unpredictable from the perspective of initial evaluation among seemingly suitable cases. The studies all contain clinical and methodological limitations which are no more substantial than in other forms of psychotherapy research, but they have not substantially advanced psychoanalytic knowledge. This raises challenges for the further development of formal research strategies native to psychoanalysis.     

Gender and self-esteem.

Where does self-esteem (SE) come from? Three experiments explored the idea that men's and women's SE arise, in part, from different sources. It was hypothesized that SE is related to successfully measuring up to culturally mandated, gender-appropriate norms--separation and independence for men and connection and interdependence for women. Results from Study 1 suggested that men's SE can be linked to a individuation process in which one's personal distinguishing achievements are emphasized. Results from Study 2 suggested that women's SE can be linked to a process in which connections and attachments to important others are emphasized. Study 3 demonstrated that failing to perform well on gender-appropriate tasks engendered a defensive, compensatory reaction, but only in subjects with high SE. These findings are discussed with regard to their implications for the structure and dynamics of the self.     

The role of the preconscious in psychoanalysis.

The analytic process inevitably involves the interdigitation of the intrapsychic structures of both patient and analyst. This interplay is expressed in transference-countertransference interactions. Drawing a dichotomy between intrapsychic and interpersonal factors as central agents of psychic change is a faulty construction. Affective, behavioral interchanges between patient and analyst reflect their individual intrapsychic organizations and their interplay, which influence the form and nature of psychological change. The safer both patient and analyst feel in relation to each other, the more freely will they relax their customary cognitive controls and permit the emergence of preconscious responses. Preconscious resonance between patient and analyst is likely to facilitate the lifting of repressive barriers and the emergence of unconscious material in both participants. The integration and reworking of old conflicts then becomes possible. The role of the preconscious in facilitating the analytic process is illustrated. Creative use of preconscious processes requires the analyst's self-discipline to preserve the analytic role and keep the treatment safe for both participants.     

Mr. Farrell and the refutability of psychoanalysis

Mr. B. A. Farrell has argued that psychoanalysis is refutable, without clarifying different senses of ‘refutable’. Once this clarification is done and the relevant literature examined, however, it is seen that psychoanalysis is not refutable in several important senses of ‘refutable’, although it is refutable in a sense that is quite uninteresting.     

On subjectivity and objectivity in psychoanalysis.

Epistemological subjectivism has found its way into psychoanalysis along several theoretical and clinical paths. It has developed out of the clinical interest in transference and countertransference and, in particular, from the broadly generalized definition of countertransference now popular. The clinically necessary attention to analyst-analysand interaction has been turned into interactionism or intersubjectivism and a denial of epistemological subject-object differentiation. These perspectives transform a clinical focus on the here and now of the analytic relation into the determination of the past by the present and a teleological reversal of causality. Once this reversal is made, narrative in the analytic situation becomes the co-creation of the analysand's past by the present analyst-analysand relation. Psychoanalysis, on this view, can at best substitute a coherent, novelistic account for the life history of a person. Some of the problems of subjectivism are examined here with a view to restoring to psychoanalysis the epistemology of science and common sense.     

Developmental psychology and psychoanalysis: I. The context for a revolution in psychoanalysis

After describing the manner in which the integration of psychoanalysis and developmental psychology became a central problem for ego psychology, the author examines the conditions that make it possible for new research and theory in developmental psychology to contribute to a revolution in contemporary psychoanalytic theory. They include: (1) the emergence of a state of "crisis" in American psychoanalysis centering on questions of the nature of early development and how it can be known; (2) the explosive growth of developmental research on early childhood dealing with issues at the heart of that crisis; and (3) the presence of a new generation of psychoanalysts and psychoanalytically oriented researchers capable of bringing that research to bear on those issues.     

Perceptions of height and self-esteem.

Although no relationship was found between the actual height of 69 young adolescent males and their self-esteem, positive and significant relationships were found between their own, peers', and teacher's perceptions of their height and self-esteem. These results are discussed with reference to the relationship between body morphology, behavior, and personality.     

Temperament and self-esteem in late adolescence.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between temperament and self-esteem (or social competence) among late adolescents. The Dimensions of Temperament Scale and the Short Form of the Texas Social Behavior Inventory were administered to 186 students. It was found that Adaptability, Attention/Distractibility, and Reactivity all showed significant correlations with self-esteem. An interactive framework suggested that temperament may mediate how each individual perceives and experiences social demands and constraints, thereby influencing the level of positive regard and success during development.     

Body-self unity and self-esteem in patients with rheumatic diseases

Perceptions and evaluations of the own body are important sources of self-esteem. Having a rheumatic disease challenges maintenance of positive self-esteem due to consequences of the disease such as unfavorable sensations as pain and limited (physical) functioning. We expect that a positive experience of the own body in spite of a rheumatic disease (body-self harmony) will be associated with higher levels of self-esteem and that experiencing the body as unworthy part of the own person or as disabler for own strivings (body-self alienation) will result in lower levels of self-esteem. For this explorative study, the body experience questionnaire (BEQ) measuring body-self unity was developed and piloted. One hundred sixty-eight patients visiting the outpatient rheumatology clinic of the Medisch Spectrum Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands, completed a questionnaire on touchscreen computers to measure body-self unity (BEQ), illness cognitions (illness cognition questionnaire), pain intensity, functional limitations (health assessment questionnaire disability index), self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale) and demographics. To analyze predictors of self-esteem, hierarchical regression analyses were employed. The BEQ revealed a two-factor structure with good reliability (subscale harmony, four items, Cronbach's α?=?0.76; subscale alienation, six items, Cronbach's α?=?0.84). The final model of the hierarchical regression analyses showed that self-esteem can be predicted by the illness cognitions helplessness and acceptance, by harmony and most strongly by alienation from the body. R(2) of the final model was 0.50. The relationship between functional limitations and self-esteem was totally mediated by the psychological constructs body-self unity and illness cognitions. This explorative study showed the importance of the unity of body and self for self-esteem in patients with a rheumatic disease.