title: Biology, ideology, and the reification of developmental stages in the study of homosexual identities.
abstract: 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.
mesh_terms: D005783:Gender Identity; D006716:Homosexuality; D006801:Humans; D007062:Identification, Psychological; D011574:Psychoanalytic Theory; D011606:Psychosexual Development; D012931:Social Environment; D012933:Social Identification