Biology, ideology, and the reification of developmental stages in the study of homosexual identities.
This paper examines the biological underpinnings of theories of homosexual identity formation by focusing on the developmental model of Minton and McDonald (1983/1984). Several problems stemming from the use of biologically derived models are identified: (a) stages, which are researchers' constructs rather than reflections of the subjects' perceptions, become reified; (b) moral assumptions embedded in biologically derived models become incorporated in sociopsychological theories of identity, without ever being acknowledged; and (c) the models tend to be constructed in a linear fashion, causing the researcher or theorist to ignore possible alternative paths.
D005783:Gender Identity; D006716:Homosexuality; D006801:Humans; D007062:Identification, Psychological; D011574:Psychoanalytic Theory; D011606:Psychosexual Development; D012931:Social Environment; D012933:Social Identification