Hockenbury Discovering Psychology 5th txtbk

Human Sexuality339A potential problem with such retrospective studies is that the participantsmay be biased in their recall of childhood events. One way toavoid that problem is by conducting a prospective study. A prospectivestudy involves systematically observing a group of people over time todiscover what factors are associated with the development of a particulartrait, characteristic, or behavior.One influential prospective study was conducted by Richard Green(1985, 1987). Green followed the development of sexual orientationin two groups of boys. The first group of boys had been referred toa mental health clinic because of their “feminine” behavior. He comparedthe development of these boys to a matched control group ofboys who displayed typically “masculine” behavior in childhood.When all the boys were in their late teens, Green compared the twogroups. He found that approximately 75 percent of the previouslyfeminine boys were either bisexual or homosexual, as compared toonly 4 percent of the control group.Less is known about girls who are referred to clinics because ofcross-gender behavior, partly because girls are less likely to be referredto clinics for “tomboy” behavior (Zucker & Cohen-Kettenis,2008). However, Kelley Drummond and her colleagues (2008)found that cross-gender behavior in girls was also associated withthe later development of bisexual or homosexual orientation, althoughat a lower rate than was true for boys. As researchers J.Michael Bailey and Kenneth J. Zucker (1995) summarized,“There is clear evidence of a relation between patterns of childhoodsex-typed behavior and later sexual orientation.”Once sexual orientation is established, whether heterosexual orhomosexual, it is highly resistant to change (American Psychiatric Association,1994). The vast majority of homosexuals would be unableto change their orientation even if they wished to, just as the majorityof heterosexuals would be unable to change their orientation if theywished to. Thus, it’s a mistake to assume that homosexuals have deliberatelychosen their sexual orientation any more than heterosexuals have. Indeed,when Richard was in high school, he would gladly have “chosen” to be heterosexualif the matter had been that simple.It seems clear that no single factor determines whether people identify themselvesas homosexual, heterosexual, or bisexual (Patterson, 2008). Psychological, biological,social, and cultural factors are undoubtedly involved in determining sexual orientation.However, researchers are still unable to pinpoint exactly what those factors areand how they interact. As psychologist Bonnie Strickland (1995) has pointed out,“Sexual identity and orientation appear to be shaped by a complexity of biological,psychological, and social events. Gender identity and sexual orientation, at least formost people, especially gay men, occur early, are relatively fixed, and are difficult tochange.” As Richard learned, changing his sexual orientation was simply not possible.Homosexuality is no longer considered a sexual disorder by clinical psychologistsor psychiatrists (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Many research studieshave also found that homosexuals who are comfortable with their sexual orientationare just as well adjusted as are heterosexuals (see Strickland, 1995).Like heterosexuals, gays and lesbians can be found in every occupation and atevery socioeconomic level in our society. And, like heterosexuals, many gays and lesbiansare involved in long-term, committed, and caring relationships (Roisman &others, 2008). Children who are raised by gay or lesbian parents are as well adjustedas children who are raised by heterosexual parents (Patterson, 2006; Wainwright &Patterson, 2008). Finally, children who are raised by gay or lesbian parents are nomore likely to be gay or lesbian in adulthood than are children who are raised byheterosexual parents (Bailey & others, 1995; Golombok & Tasker, 1996).© The New Yorker Collection 1993 Roz Chast from cartoonbank.com. All Right Reserved.