An evolutionary psychological investigation of parental distress and reproductive coercion during the "coming out" of gay sons.
The lack of success of the "coming out" studies over the last three decades to explain and predict parental responses has motivated an evolutionary psychological reconceptualization. According to this reconceptualization, it was predicted that (a) biological mothers would experience more distress and apply more pressure on gay sons to change than would biological fathers and; (b) obligate investment for fathers on dependent sons would cause fathers to experience more distress and apply more pressure on gay sons to change than it would fathers without this obligate investment. In contrast, a cultural-norm hypothesis predicted that fathers would experience more distress and apply more pressure on gay sons to change than mothers. The majority of predictions were tested using 787 participants from two-biological parent families, who were drawn from a total sample of 891 participants from various family backgrounds. As predicted by the evolutionary hypothesis, biological mothers were reported to have been more distressed and coercive than biological fathers, in spite of a strong, societal expectation to the contrary. Furthermore, the results supported the obligate investment argument for paternal reactions. The model not only correctly explained and predicted parental behavior during coming out, but also was shown to unify within its theoretical framework discrepant results from the literature previously considered inconsistent.
Wisniewski
Timothy J
TJ
Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. tjw32767@mac.com
Robinson
Thomas N
TN
Deluty
Robert H
RH
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003068:Coercion; D003469:Culture; D005220:Fathers / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D012098:Reproduction; D012650:Self Disclosure; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D055815:Young Adult