Psychology of Gay and Lesbian Adolescents Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Psychology of Gay and Lesbian Adolescents - Essay Example "Homosexuality is the persistent sexual and emotional attraction to someone of the same sex. It is part of the range of sexual expression. Many gay and lesbian individuals first become aware of and experience their homosexual thoughts and feelings during childhood and adolescence" (Anderson and Adley, 1997, p.71). At the same time their parents begin to consider the adolescent to have mental disorder, as the traditional social stereotypes pose homosexuality as disease. In addition, Catholic Church prohibits 'sodomy' as one of the most dangerous deathly sins. The basic theory about gay and lesbian sexual identity was created by A.Kinsey during his work at Huckleberry House, an institution that provided homosexual youth with psychological support and care. The first phase of 'coming out' (Kinsey et al, 1953) process begins when the teenager realizes he/she is different from others. The second stage includes direct attraction to the individuals of the same gender, followed by guilt and the anticipation of ostracism from the side of 'decent public'. Furthermore, gay and lesbian adolescents might either deny themselves or begin to manifest their identity, with relative teenage maximalism.