Giving In,Giving Up,and Being Blown to Smithereens: A Discussion of “‘When Reparation Is Felt to Be Impossible’: Persecutory Guilt and Breakdowns in Thinking and Dialogue about Race”

In describing the paralysis that encumbers those struggling with persecutory guilt about their white privilege, and suggesting we seek opportunities for meaningful repair within the realm of the ordinary, Caflisch (this issue) is directing us toward an ethic of personal accountability to everyday interaction. This paper explores possible routes toward the “ordinary” reparation Caflisch seeks, and describes several pitfalls that might be encountered along the way.     

Perspectives in psychology

The Psychological Record -     

Affective responses to non-sexual imagery depicting gay men and lesbian women

ABSTRACT

When examining negative attitudes and behaviors directed toward gay men and lesbian women (i.e., homonegativity), researchers tend to use measures that require participants to respond to belief statements. This methodology is problematic for two reasons: 1) it focuses on the social categories “gay men” and “lesbian women” and ignores the practices of relational intimacy engaged in by gay and lesbian persons (practices that, arguably, are at the crux of homonegativity); and 2) it overlooks the affective responses that sexual minorities evoke in heterosexual people. These issues were tackled in the current study. Specifically, heterosexual participants (N = 241) were asked to report their affective state using six basic emotions while viewing photos depicting male-male, female-female, and heterosexual couples. Findings demonstrated that participants, regardless of gender, reacted most negatively to images of female-female couples engaging in everyday intimacies. Theoretical explanations for these findings are explored.