<p> Through hermeneutic and heuristic research this thesis looks at melancholia or complicated grief with the contributing factor of identity questioning. From a depth psychological perspective, normal grief is differentiated from melancholia or complicated grief, which involves the unconscious. This exploration employs the theory of Allan Hugh Cole Jr., whose work on melancholia draws on that of Donald Capps, Erik Erikson, and Sigmund Freud. A disposition to melancholia, particularly in men, comes from the first abandonment by a primary parent, resulting in identity loss and resistance to resolution of grief. Factors such as trauma, sexual orientation, religion, or marginalized race can have exacerbating effect on melancholia and were found to have treatment implications. Ritual, art, play, humor, and dreams can be identity-conferring and restorative resources. The author proposes that melancholia with identity issues should be understood as a psychological problem that is distinct from, although it can prolong and complicate, grief.</p>

<p> Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals face significant mental and physical health disparities compared to their heterosexual peers. Such differential outcomes are often attributed to minority stress, chronic stress that is specific to one&rsquo;s marginalized status and which is distinct from normal every day life stress. Current research, which attempts to assess the relationship between minority stress and health, is stifled by lack of a uniform measurement tool to operationalize the construct. The purpose of this study was to develop a comprehensive tool that encapsulates all of the major dimensions of minority stress, as defined by Meyer&rsquo;s (2003) LGB minority stress model. The final LGBT Minority Stress Measure is a 25-item self-report scale, with seven subscales: identity concealment, everyday discrimination/ microaggressions, rejection anticipation, discrimination events, internalized stigma, victimization events, and community connectedness. Results from 640 participants, including 119 of which identified as gender non-conforming, supported the psychometric properties of the scale. Additionally, consistent with existing literature, greater minority stress was associated with increased psychological distress.</p>

<p> Resilience is the ability to be adaptable in times of adversity. In the past fifty years, individuals who identify as being lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender have experienced the broadest spectrum from being seen as immoral degenerates to gaining equality in the eyes of the law. Limited research on LGBT resilience has placed emphasis on circumstantial, episodic contentions rather than the dynamics of resiliency experiences of sexual minorities or gender identity. Existing research is even split between quantitative and qualitative methods but does not consider lifelong resiliency dynamic experiences. Qualitatively exploring the resiliency experiences of LGBT Baby Boomers can offer valuable information for the design of sensitivity training of health professionals and amend LGBT resiliency research literature with a broader range of life experiences. Prior research established precedents of resilient self-analysis of expansive situational issues particularly in regard to aging, health, and community. Accordingly, this qualitative research study strived to gain a better understanding of LGBT Baby Boomer resilience as a concept, personal qualities to overcome adverse situations or be resilient, those resilient qualities in regard to sexual orientation or gender identity, and qualities unique not only to their sexual orientation or gender identity, but as Baby Boomers. Five themes were identified that describe resiliency experiences of LGBT Baby Boomers.</p>

<p> Using hermeneutics research methodology, this thesis explores the impact of negative attitudes towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals and the importance of a positive support system to help decrease self-harm and suicidality rates among the LGBT community. This thesis investigates the negative effects long-standing rejection, discrimination, oppression, and scapegoating of the LGBT community throughout history have had. This will provide a greater understanding of how rejection and scapegoating negatively affect the LGBT community and the individuals who comprise it. This thesis also suggests ways for family, friends, and society to become a positive support system for an LGBT individual and looks at possible interventions marriage and family therapists can apply to their clients who identify as LGBT.</p>

<p> This phenomenological study explored transgender individuals&rsquo; lived experiences of romantic relationship. This study utilized the concepts of Jung&rsquo;s transcendent function and Buddhism&rsquo;s middle way in order to articulate the transgender individuals&rsquo; felt experience of romantic relationships. Eight participants were interviewed and provided the research data, which was then examined in order to articulate and describe the experiences of the participants. This researcher found that most of this study&rsquo;s participants pursued the fulfillment of their genuine gender individualities and participated in romantic relationships that are built on the full expression of their authentic gender identities. Additionally, many participants reported that their relationships were built around values such as support, negotiation, communication, and compromise. Further, multiple participants described the presence of the third, or in other words, the multiple or plural spectrum, via the ways of working through romantic relationship issues by forming contracts and an openness to co-create defined relationship boundaries. This research arrives at an understanding of the transgender romantic relationship and subsequently, human relationships through depth psychological understanding. The findings are discussed in connection to the themes provided by the participants: the personal evolution of their transgender experience, the experiences of living in a romantic relationship, and the experiences of the third. Further areas of depth psychological research, study, and clinical implications are also discussed.</p>

<p> Culture and social norms influence sex roles and expression, according to previous studies. This leads to the research question of whether there a difference in sex-role characteristics and generational category among cisgender American adults from Generation X, Generation Y, and Generation Z. A gap in the research about sex-role evolution in generational and cultural shifts provided an open opportunity for this investigation to strengthen the literature. Data collection without making any changes or introducing any treatments was employed, via quantitative non-experimental means, using survey methodology. The population consisted of cisgender American adults from Generation X, Generation Y, and Generation Z. SurveyMonkey Audience was used to sample the population, through participant inclusion criteria outlined as being aged 18 to 50 years, a U.S. citizen, and identifying as cisgender, and able to read and understand English. The self-perceived sex-role characteristics of three generational groups (Generations X, Y, &amp; Z) were analyzed, employing a quantitative non-experimental design to determine whether there was a statistically significant difference between group means. Results concluded that a statistically significant difference was found for the interaction of generation and self-identified sex for both masculinity and femininity. Continuing research in this area will ensure that extending the body of knowledge of evolutionary psychology will enable the social support systems to allow for more flexibility in relation to socially dictated norms. Additionally, governing bodies, mental health workers, and medical professionals would benefit from more thorough and sensitive gender identity training.</p><p>

<p> Researchers and theorists have generally included drag queens and transgender (trans*) populations together in their scholarship, and have paid little attention to how these populations may differ. Such sampling practices may lead to a variety of misleading assumptions about both drag and transgender populations. For one thing, researchers have pointed to higher rates of gender dysphoria and depression among trans* individuals, but the same may not be the case among drag queens. In order to add greater clarity to similarities and differences between these populations, a gender dysphoria questionnaire, depression inventory, and work involvement inventory were administered to a sample of gay and bisexual, cisgender male drag queens. Descriptive statistics from these measures represent the first step toward establishing rates of depression and gender dysphoria among drag queens. Mean comparisons of rates of depression and gender dysphoria between gay/bisexual male cisgender drag queens and male-to-female transgender persons indicate significant differences between these populations. When level of involvement in drag was considered, a small positive correlation was found with depression while a small negative correlation was found with gender dysphoria. Results indicate that drag queens are less depressed and experience considerably less gender dysphoria than transgender individuals. Furthermore, gender dysphoria may decrease as involvement in drag performance increases. This data may add clarity to research on gender diversity, support efforts to de-pathologize drag performance, and reduce stigma associated with drag in general. Implications for future research and for mental health treatment are discussed.</p><p>

<p> Gay and bisexual Black men experience higher lifetime depression rates than both White and Black heterosexual men. Some social stress researchers argued that this rate may be due to having two stigmatized minority identities and therefore being at greater risk. However, gay and bisexual Black men also experience lifetime depression rates significantly below White LGB people, suggesting resilience to depression for those with these intersecting identities, race and sexuality. This study attempted to address the debate between greater risk versus resilience in gay and bisexual Black men. </p><p> This study investigated whether internalized heterosexism and internalized racism would independently predict depressive symptoms, and whether the interaction of the two would account for more reported depression, supporting the greater risk perspective and minority stress theory (Meyer, 2003). Additionally, the resilience perspective was tested using Africultural coping, culture-specific type of coping, as a moderator of the relationship between internalized stigmas and depressive symptoms. All variables were examined for their relative contributions to depressive symptoms in gay and bisexual Black men to allow for a nuanced view of risk and resilience in this population. </p><p> Eighty-three gay and bisexual Black men of diverse ages, incomes, and educational levels from around the U.S. completed all online surveys and were included in analysis. The single multiple regression was significant with the full model explaining 43% of the variance in depressive symptoms. Internalized heterosexism was positively associated with depressive symptoms. Neither internalized racism, nor the interaction of internalized stigmas (internalized heterosexism x internalized racism) was significant. Thus, minority stress theory was only partially supported and the greater risk perspective was not supported. </p><p> Africultural coping was not significant, in this sample, in predicting depressive symptoms, nor was the interaction of Africultural Coping with each of the two internalized stigmas. In keeping with social stress theory and research, reported low income was significantly and positively associated with depressive symptoms. Possible confounds and limitations are discussed. Implications for theory, methodology and measurement are also discussed.</p>