What are the American heterosexual cultural beliefs about gay relationships?
“There is the belief held by some people that homosexuality is itself a pathology (Trent Lott, et. al).
Homosexuality is not a pathology.
Opinions of professional psychiatric/psychological and medical societies
affirm the mental health of homosexuals.
Second, empirical data affirms
the (positive) mental/relational health of gay persons in relationships
(as shown from 26 separate studies).
Third, (statistical) evidence
refutes the propaganda that most gays engage in highly promiscuous
sexual activity and are therefore more likely to sexually assault children.
Finally, scientific evidence supports the mental health of homosexuals
from 70 separate studies conducted since 1957” (Townsley, 2007). It
appears that a preponderance of health professionals and organizations
concur that homosexuality is not a disease, abnormality, or psychological
disorder.
What about the average heterosexual American; what does he believe about homosexual relationships?
Adding to the hetero/homosexual divide is that gay relationships have been stereotyped, leading to increased awareness of differences between hetero, and homosexual couples. “A common assumption is that one same-sex partner assumes a pseudo-male gender role and the other assumes a pseudo-female role. For a gay male relationship, this might lead to the assumption that the "wife" handled domestic chores, was the receptive sexual partner in anal sex, adopted effeminate mannerisms, and perhaps even dressed in women's clothing. This assumption is flawed, as many homosexual couples tend to have more equal roles, and the effeminate behavior of some gay men is usually not adopted consciously and is often more subtle. Feminine or masculine behaviors in some homosexual people might be a product of the socialization process, adopted unconsciously due to stronger identification with the opposite sex during (neo-natal) development. The role of both this process and the role of biology is debated. The existence of these separate identities (dominant masculine vs. more passive feminine), where present, can establish the dynamics of the relationship, according to the heterosexual patterns” (Wikipedia, 2010). It seems there are substantially different inter-personal relationship dynamics between heterosexual and homosexual couples.
If the straight and gay world of relationships is so different, how do the two groups interact and communicate?
In applying the Two-Step Model of Cognitive Processing of Stereotypes (Aronson, Wilson & Akert, 2010) to these two groups, we find a clear example of unconscious stereotyping of the “other group” happening in both hetero, and homosexuals. This sociological model of cognitive processing is a simple way to understand the cognitive processing we all do, regardless of our sexual identification. Straight or gay, it appears that all humans process unconscious, and conscious information similarly. In this cognitive processing model, Step 1 consists of “Automatic Processing”: Occurring automatically and spontaneously, automatic thoughts of stereotypes occur without our conscious awareness (unconsciously) when we encounter group members of a frequently stereotyped group. Step 2 consists of “Controlled Processing”: Occurring when we consciously disregard or ignore stereotyped information that has been triggered by the stimulus (of the stereotyped group member). This is a key and critical concept in understanding the effect that cultural influence has upon human cognition: as a member of American culture, with its unique national history, I am also susceptible to its stereotypes and associated biases. Whether I believe the stereotypes form biases which our mass media has publicized, or I don’t, I am still vulnerable to the unconscious belief about stereotyped peoples. I am exposed to stereotypical thinking, and therefore I am subject to “Automatic Thoughts” about it.
When we do not pay attention to our automatic thoughts, “the information supplied by the automatic process-the stereotype-is still in your mind and unrefuted (Aronson, Wilson & Akert, p. 403). What principles of implicit cognition are at work, shaping our unconscious thoughts without our conscious knowledge?
A landmark study on implicit cognition was introduced to me years ago through a general psychology college course. This famous study is known as, “Project Implicit” (www.projectimplicit.com). “When individuals (participating in the test) were asked to report how much they prefer Black people to White people, they might report egalitarian feelings, reporting no preference for any social group. However, psychological research has shown that sometimes individuals automatic evaluations do not reflect these specific endorsements. In fact, some individuals have preferences they might not publicly endorse, or even be consciously aware they hold. For example, an analysis of more than 900,000 completed Implicit Association Tests at the Project Implicit Website suggest that 70% of test takers associated (unconsciously) White people with the concept “good,” and Black people with the concept of “bad.” A popular question is whether these (implicit) associations can be changed, and how?” (www.projectimplicit.com).
I was a participant in this online study, and my results were neutral; I neither implicitly favored Whites as being good, nor stereotyped Blacks as being bad. A classmate at the time who is Black took the test also, and I was shocked when she confidentially shared with me that her results indicated that although she was a Black woman, she unconsciously thought of Whites as being better than Blacks. It was in that moment that I realized the amazing power unconscious stereotypes have upon us all.
What then can be done to change our implicit beliefs, so they reflect the truth about humanity; that all people are born innately equal, as our U.S. Declaration of Independence affirms?
Were these words simply empty platitudes: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness?” (Congress, July 4, 1776). The Two-Step Model of Processing Stereotypes suggests we become more aware of the implicit, automatic thoughts we are having, and “restructure” them, or interpret them consciously,“adjusting” them so we are not perpetuating stereotypes in our reactions to members of an already stereotyped group. This cognitive restructuring process may be a little harder than it sounds, however, as this asking us to stop and analyze subtle thoughts and feelings of stereotypes which are unpleasant and politically incorrect of us to acknowledge in ourselves. Most of us consider ourselves unprejudiced, open-minded, or at the least reasonably fair-minded people. We don’t want to see what we truly are, which is vulnerable and susceptible to unconscious thought processes which perpetuate cruel stereotypes. So asking us to monitor and change old thought patters in a bit like a friend telling us we have bad breath; we appreciate them telling us, but it’s still embarrassing to admit. All of us, even members of stereotyped groups, fall prey to believing implicit stereotypes, and thereby unconsciously perpetuate bias. The most we can do to change this trend is to become aware of, and acknowledge these societal and cultural biases, and to strive to be fair and impartial in all of our dealings with people, keeping in mind that unconscious bias always has a finger-hold upon our cognitive processes. Perhaps then we can, as individuals, level the playing field for all people, as The Declaration of Independence declared we should.
References:
Townsley, J. (2007). Homosexuality is not a pathology. Retrieved on the World
Wide Web on March 2, 2010 from://www.jeramyt.org/gay/gay health.html
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (Pflag) Upstate South
Carolina 2004). Statistics. The New Press, NY, NY. Retrieved on the World Wide Web on March 3, 2010
from://www.pflagupstatesc.org/statistics.html
Gay Into Straight America. (2004). Gottman’s research on gay and lesbian couples. Retrieved on the World Wide Web on March 8, 2010 from://www.gayintostraightamerica.com/572.html
Wikipedia. (2010). Gender roles. Retrieved on the World Wide Web on March 8, 2010 from://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_role
Aronson, E., Wilson, T.D., & Akert, R.M. (2010). Social Psychology. Seventh Edition, Pearson Prentice Hall.
Project Implicit. (2009). The surprisingly limited malleability of implicit racial evaluations. Retrieved on the World Wide Web on March 8, 2010 from://project implicit.wordpress.com/category/implicit-social-cognition/
United States of America Congress. (1776). The Declaration of Independence. US Constitution Online. Retrieved on the World Wide Web on March 9, 2010 from://USConstitution.net
What about the average heterosexual American; what does he believe about homosexual relationships?
“In 1965, 82% of men and 58% of women said that homosexuality represented a
"clear threat" to the American way of life” (Pflag, 1994). Compare that to more recent
public opinion: In a 1993 U.S. News and World Report poll of 1,000 registered voters,
53% said they knew someone who is gay of these, 73% supported equal rights for
gays. 46% said they do not know someone who is gay or lesbian;
"clear threat" to the American way of life” (Pflag, 1994). Compare that to more recent
public opinion: In a 1993 U.S. News and World Report poll of 1,000 registered voters,
53% said they knew someone who is gay of these, 73% supported equal rights for
gays. 46% said they do not know someone who is gay or lesbian;
of these, 55% supported equal rights“(Pflag, 1994). Obviously, public opinion has shifted towards a homosexual acceptance, or at the very least, increased tolerance.
Adding to the hetero/homosexual divide is that gay relationships have been stereotyped, leading to increased awareness of differences between hetero, and homosexual couples. “A common assumption is that one same-sex partner assumes a pseudo-male gender role and the other assumes a pseudo-female role. For a gay male relationship, this might lead to the assumption that the "wife" handled domestic chores, was the receptive sexual partner in anal sex, adopted effeminate mannerisms, and perhaps even dressed in women's clothing. This assumption is flawed, as many homosexual couples tend to have more equal roles, and the effeminate behavior of some gay men is usually not adopted consciously and is often more subtle. Feminine or masculine behaviors in some homosexual people might be a product of the socialization process, adopted unconsciously due to stronger identification with the opposite sex during (neo-natal) development. The role of both this process and the role of biology is debated. The existence of these separate identities (dominant masculine vs. more passive feminine), where present, can establish the dynamics of the relationship, according to the heterosexual patterns” (Wikipedia, 2010). It seems there are substantially different inter-personal relationship dynamics between heterosexual and homosexual couples.
If the straight and gay world of relationships is so different, how do the two groups interact and communicate?
In applying the Two-Step Model of Cognitive Processing of Stereotypes (Aronson, Wilson & Akert, 2010) to these two groups, we find a clear example of unconscious stereotyping of the “other group” happening in both hetero, and homosexuals. This sociological model of cognitive processing is a simple way to understand the cognitive processing we all do, regardless of our sexual identification. Straight or gay, it appears that all humans process unconscious, and conscious information similarly. In this cognitive processing model, Step 1 consists of “Automatic Processing”: Occurring automatically and spontaneously, automatic thoughts of stereotypes occur without our conscious awareness (unconsciously) when we encounter group members of a frequently stereotyped group. Step 2 consists of “Controlled Processing”: Occurring when we consciously disregard or ignore stereotyped information that has been triggered by the stimulus (of the stereotyped group member). This is a key and critical concept in understanding the effect that cultural influence has upon human cognition: as a member of American culture, with its unique national history, I am also susceptible to its stereotypes and associated biases. Whether I believe the stereotypes form biases which our mass media has publicized, or I don’t, I am still vulnerable to the unconscious belief about stereotyped peoples. I am exposed to stereotypical thinking, and therefore I am subject to “Automatic Thoughts” about it.
When we do not pay attention to our automatic thoughts, “the information supplied by the automatic process-the stereotype-is still in your mind and unrefuted (Aronson, Wilson & Akert, p. 403). What principles of implicit cognition are at work, shaping our unconscious thoughts without our conscious knowledge?
A landmark study on implicit cognition was introduced to me years ago through a general psychology college course. This famous study is known as, “Project Implicit” (www.projectimplicit.com). “When individuals (participating in the test) were asked to report how much they prefer Black people to White people, they might report egalitarian feelings, reporting no preference for any social group. However, psychological research has shown that sometimes individuals automatic evaluations do not reflect these specific endorsements. In fact, some individuals have preferences they might not publicly endorse, or even be consciously aware they hold. For example, an analysis of more than 900,000 completed Implicit Association Tests at the Project Implicit Website suggest that 70% of test takers associated (unconsciously) White people with the concept “good,” and Black people with the concept of “bad.” A popular question is whether these (implicit) associations can be changed, and how?” (www.projectimplicit.com).
I was a participant in this online study, and my results were neutral; I neither implicitly favored Whites as being good, nor stereotyped Blacks as being bad. A classmate at the time who is Black took the test also, and I was shocked when she confidentially shared with me that her results indicated that although she was a Black woman, she unconsciously thought of Whites as being better than Blacks. It was in that moment that I realized the amazing power unconscious stereotypes have upon us all.
What then can be done to change our implicit beliefs, so they reflect the truth about humanity; that all people are born innately equal, as our U.S. Declaration of Independence affirms?
Were these words simply empty platitudes: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness?” (Congress, July 4, 1776). The Two-Step Model of Processing Stereotypes suggests we become more aware of the implicit, automatic thoughts we are having, and “restructure” them, or interpret them consciously,“adjusting” them so we are not perpetuating stereotypes in our reactions to members of an already stereotyped group. This cognitive restructuring process may be a little harder than it sounds, however, as this asking us to stop and analyze subtle thoughts and feelings of stereotypes which are unpleasant and politically incorrect of us to acknowledge in ourselves. Most of us consider ourselves unprejudiced, open-minded, or at the least reasonably fair-minded people. We don’t want to see what we truly are, which is vulnerable and susceptible to unconscious thought processes which perpetuate cruel stereotypes. So asking us to monitor and change old thought patters in a bit like a friend telling us we have bad breath; we appreciate them telling us, but it’s still embarrassing to admit. All of us, even members of stereotyped groups, fall prey to believing implicit stereotypes, and thereby unconsciously perpetuate bias. The most we can do to change this trend is to become aware of, and acknowledge these societal and cultural biases, and to strive to be fair and impartial in all of our dealings with people, keeping in mind that unconscious bias always has a finger-hold upon our cognitive processes. Perhaps then we can, as individuals, level the playing field for all people, as The Declaration of Independence declared we should.
References:
Townsley, J. (2007). Homosexuality is not a pathology. Retrieved on the World
Wide Web on March 2, 2010 from://www.jeramyt.org/gay/gay health.html
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (Pflag) Upstate South
Carolina 2004). Statistics. The New Press, NY, NY. Retrieved on the World Wide Web on March 3, 2010
from://www.pflagupstatesc.org/statistics.html
Gay Into Straight America. (2004). Gottman’s research on gay and lesbian couples. Retrieved on the World Wide Web on March 8, 2010 from://www.gayintostraightamerica.com/572.html
Wikipedia. (2010). Gender roles. Retrieved on the World Wide Web on March 8, 2010 from://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_role
Aronson, E., Wilson, T.D., & Akert, R.M. (2010). Social Psychology. Seventh Edition, Pearson Prentice Hall.
Project Implicit. (2009). The surprisingly limited malleability of implicit racial evaluations. Retrieved on the World Wide Web on March 8, 2010 from://project implicit.wordpress.com/category/implicit-social-cognition/
United States of America Congress. (1776). The Declaration of Independence. US Constitution Online. Retrieved on the World Wide Web on March 9, 2010 from://USConstitution.net
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