Self-Disclosure Of Homosexual Orientation

Authors

Joel W. Wells, University of Northern IowaFollow
William B. Kline, University of Northern IowaFollow

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book/Conference Title

Journal of Social Psychology

Volume

127

Issue

2

First Page

191

Last Page

197

Abstract

An open-ended questionnaire, assessing how, when, where, why, and to whom 23 gay men and 17 lesbians in the United States disclose their sexual orientation revealed a high degree of selectivity and fear of rejection, as well as checking out the receiver's views about homosexuality before disclosing what is considered as intimate data. Respondents cited honesty, developing meaningful relationships, education of non-gays, and maintaining a positive self-image as major considerations in self-disclosing their sexual orientation. Gender differences were found between women and men supporting traditional sex-role socialization. © 1987 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Department

Department of Psychology

Original Publication Date

1-1-1987

DOI of published version

10.1080/00224545.1987.9713679

Recommended Citation

Wells, Joel W. and Kline, William B., "Self-Disclosure Of Homosexual Orientation" (1987). Faculty Publications. 4741.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/facpub/4741