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AIM
How do parenting style facilitate/impede the transition of homosexual adolescents into young adults (i.e. individuation) during development?
RATIONALE
During adolescence, identity development is a significant aspect of creating a healthy personality and positive self-esteem. Establishing values and likes/dislikes are part of adolescent development and these concepts apply to all adolescents. (Prof Broughton Lecture Notes, July 16) However, in mainstream America, the relationship between homosexuality and adolescent development is often overlooked. People often forget to realize the homosexual adolescent experience adds developmental stages that encase their sexuality; "coming out" and discerning their sexuality fuel adolescents into confusion, prolonging individuation. Erik Erikson refers to this phase as "identity crisis" where the search for the ultimate self takes place. Research has shown that molding beliefs and figuring out what one likes is part of adolescent development. Write my Essay on Gay cheap
THEORIES
Gay adolescents find themselves grappling with issues of their sexuality before they can develop into adults in order to separate themselves from their parents. It is positive feedback, expressed in love and acceptance from parents that shows correlation with the adolescents self-worth. "Over the past fifty years, research has revealed that parenting styles have a strong impact on child and adolescent development (Beaty, p.58).
Furthermore, societal influences and adolescent free initiative are also theories to rationalize gay development. Each factor shapes how the adolescents perceive their own development. However, the focus of this paper will lie strictly in parental attitudes affecting adolescent autonomy using only examples of societal and self-influences to strengthen my analysis in addressing adolescent turmoil. The theory concentrates on the effects of the parent-child relationship and how that could determine adolescents individuation from their parents.
METHOD
The method of investigation included data collected through face-to-face interviews with four of my gay friends who all aged twenty-three, and research data drawn from interview studies from Boxer, Cook, and Herdt, 11 and Floyd, Stein, Harter, and Nye, 1. Boxers research interviewed two hundred and two youths ranging in age from fourteen to twenty-one and Floyds research involved seventy-two youths ranging in age from sixteen and twenty-four. All the interviews focused mainly on adolescent-parent relationship, and included questions about demographics, sexual orientation, coming out experiences, and future expectations. However my focus pertained solely on certain types of parental behavior affecting adolescent self-esteem and emotional distress.
ANALYSIS
According to the results found by Floyd, parents who had relatively positive feelings regarding their son/daughters sexuality correlated with the greater conflictual independence from both parents. "Perceptions of more positive attitudes by both parents were consistently associated with greater consolidation of sexual orientation identity." (Floyd p.70) On the other hand, Floyds findings did not show a correlation with autonomy from the parents. That is two-thirds of cases showed that when adolescents revealed their homosexual orientation to their parents, specific negative effects were reported. Only a third tested showed no impact on their relationship with their parents. The conclusion is that gay/lesbian adolescents must "renegotiate their relationship with their parents" before they can assume any autonomy from their parents (Floyd p.77). This process is made ever so difficult when parents already have negative attitudes toward their childs sexual orientation. Floyds finding thus shows that negative parental attitude disrupts relationships with their gay/lesbian adolescent in reaching adulthood.
The results found by Boxer differed from those of Floyd. In general, "self-disclosure to parents of [their] homosexuality did not disrupt the parent-child bonds." (Boxer p.10) From this finding, it was most likely that adolescents who disclosed their identities already maintained a positive preexisting relationship. Similarly, parents who "reacted negatively to the disclosure of homosexuality were judged by their adolescent to not let it disrupt their relationship (Boxer p.11). However, as an example of extreme abandonment, seven youths reported being forcibly excluded from their homes after their parents discovery of their homosexuality. Excluding these outliers from Boxers finding, when in view of Floyds theory, the adolescents would find comfort constructing an autonomous relationship from their parents.
Alternatively, my gay friends stressed that their parents emphasized the "virtues of truth and honesty."
Remaining true to themselves often resulted in disclosure to others, which could bring difficult experiences such as discrimination and harassment. However, they reflected that their parents never acted upon the "truths" by never involving themselves actively in supporting their homosexuality. One even felt hostility and embarrassment from the parents. Thus the very nature of their developing sexual identity carried with it isolating influences that affected their transition into adulthood and vulnerable to the status of being alone.
FINDINGS
In todays society, acting on ones homosexual feelings with confidence remains difficult and uncomfortable. What they forget to realize is that they are growing up in a heterosexual world. Society still disapproves of homosexuality and thus homosexual adolescents are struggling to understand who they are. Furthermore, homosexual adolescents are ostracized to talk about their sexuality socially. No conclusive studies have proved the REAL cause of homosexuality whether it is biological, environmental, societal, or self-produced; studies only suggest some possibilities. What we do know is the level of difference that homosexual adolescents go through when compare to heterosexuals is profound. Homosexual adolescent is forced to cope with identity formation, with many challenges and discoveries that the heterosexual does not (DAugelli p.78). In the case of separation-individuation from the parents, homosexual adolescents must redefine their relationship with their parents before they can assume autonomy; heterosexual adolescents only need individuation in personality. Furthermore, homosexual adolescent must handle their sexuality (i.e. coming out, establishing identity) while face with the task of adolescence (i.e. individuation, love/relationship, self-identity, self-esteem).
INFERENCES AND INTERPRETATION
During Adolescence, positive feedback from parents is crucial for the childs development. This stem from societal shun of homosexual orientation. Beaty suggests that "adolescent first become conscious of being different from their peers (p.57-58). Next the adolescent realizes that he/she is homosexual followed by repression of feelings. The adolescent becomes trapped in his/her world without the means to understand their feelings and become further isolated. Without positive feedback, assurance, and guidance from their parents, the adolescent is subject to ridicule from his peer and subject to a downward spiral. "These homosexual minorities struggle in isolation and fear of discovery and as a consequence, their emotional isolation inhibits the timely and successful progression of adolescent development tasks which are put on hold until a safer time (Fontaine p.85)." In other words, the adolescents are not ready to be autonomous.
Discussion
This paper focuses on the adolescents need for positive feedback from their parents. The parents ability to come to grips with their childs sexuality is long and tedious. They often undergo hardships such as questioning their role as a parent. They often ask themselves if they were at fault in their childs upbringing. The truth is there are support groups outside the family so the adolescent does not have to rely solely on their parents. Adolescents can join a community of support offered via Internet or social organization that facilitate their needs. There they can delve deeper into learning their sexual orientation from reliable sources. This must be their first step in "coming out" to their friends and family. What they cannot worry about or help is the societal tendencies to stereotype homosexuals in a certain manner. The faster they come to grip with their sexuality and accept it, society will better modify to these changes.
REFERENCES
Beaty, Lee A. Identity Development of Homosexual Youth and Parental and Familial Influences on the Coming Out Process. Adolescence, Vol. 4, No.15, Fall 1, pp57-600.
Boxer,A., Cook,J., & Herdt, G. Experiences of coming out among gay and lesbian youth adolescent alone. In Jeffrey Bluestein, Carol Levine & Nancy Dubler (Eds). The Adolescent Alone. Cambridge 1. pp11-18
Broughton, Ph.D., John. Class Lecture Notes, as cited.
DAugelli, A. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual development during adolescence and young adulthood. In R. Cabaj and T.S. Stein (Eds.), Textbook of homosexuality and mental health. Washington, DC and London American Psychiatric Press, 16, pp67-88
Erikson, E. Identity and the life cycle. Psychological Issues. I., Vol 1, 15, pp50-100
Floyd,F.J., Stein,T.S., Harter,K.S., Allison,A., & Nye, C.L. Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Youth Separation-Individuation, Parental Attitudes, Identity Consolidation, and Well-Being. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, Vol. 8, No. 6, 1, pp71-7.
Fontaine,J.H., & Hammond, N.L. Counseling Issues with Gay and Lesbian Adolescents. Adolescence, Vol.1, No.14, Winter 16, pp817-8.
Friends. Anonymity requested. Interview
How do parenting style facilitate/impede the transition of homosexual adolescents into young adults (i.e. individuation) during development?
Abstract
In the age where more adolescents are identifying themselves as homosexual, my objective was to show how parental roles influence adolescent individuation. Using face-to-face interviews from my homosexual friends and readings done throughout the coursework containing research on adolescent homosexuality, I was able to conclude that positive parental feedback facilitated the transition of adolescents to young adulthood faster than negative parental feedback. Positive feedback helped adolescents soothe their isolation from peers and societal stereotypes.
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