A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfillment of the requirement of the Degree of Master of Arts (Clinical Psychology) Johannesburg 1993 / This dissertation explores the relationships between fusion (operationalised as a very high level of intimacy), levels of sexual desire and the frequency of sexual activity in lesbian relationships of duration longer than one year. The viability and appropriateness of the research method is also assessed, as this is an under-researched area. Fusion is theoretically and clinically posited to be associated to be associated with low levels of desire and sexual activity for lesbian couples.The questionnaire used consists of the Personal Assessment of Intimacy in Relationships Inventory, demographic questions and measures of the frequency of sexual activity and levels of sexual desire. This last had to be discarded as invalid. Participants were found via friendship networks and the media, and questionnaires were distributed and returned postally. The sample of thirty-six women covers a broad range of ages'but is predominantly English-speaking and skewed towards higher education and salary levels. Spearman correlation coefficients were. calculated for the variables. The frequency of sexual activity does not' correlate significantly with any form of intimacy, including sexual intimacy. Sexual activity does decline in frequency with an increase in the age of the participants and their partners and with an increase in the duration of the relationship, a finding in accordance with overseas research.

MA (Psychology) / Department of Psychology / The study aimed to explore societal attitudes towards homosexual individuals in the Thulamela Municipality of the Vhembe District Municipality. The objectives of the study were to identify societal attitudes towards homosexuals in Thulamela Municipality, to explore challenges posed by society towards homosexual people in Thulamela Municipality, and to describe societal perceptions of homosexual individuals. The study was qualitative in nature and purposive sampling was used in the study. A semi-structured interview guide was used. A minimum of 12 non-homosexual people were interviewed. Thematic content analysis was used to analyse data. Different ethical issues were taken into consideration before the study was conducted. The findings of the study show that society is still conservative when it comes to homosexuality. However, it discourages harsh negative attitudes towards homosexual people. Society needs to develop more accepting and tolerant behaviors towards homosexuality. The study found that age, sex, race, ethnicity, social background, level of education and religious affiliation were consistent factors in determining attitudes towards homosexuality. This study recommends that training workshops on sexual orientation should be intensified for teachers, police officers, nurses and other public service employees as well as school administrators to inform them of current trends of homosexuality in the schools. It is also recommended that student accessibility to appropriate and accurate information regarding students’ sexuality should be increased at early stages through library and Internet resources, as well as workshops and forums. / NRF

Substantial contributions have been made by lesbian and gay developmental theorists in understanding the development of lesbian and gay sexual identities, or what has come to be known as the coming out process. “Coming out of the closet” has become a central metaphor, in western contexts, for the recognisable process gay men and lesbians undergo in order to claim a relatively stable and enduring sexual identity, while overcoming obstacles such as heterosexism. Lesbians’ sexual identities are examined in this thesis through a Foucauldian lens which is fused with a narrative-discursive perspective. The aim of this study is not to trace a progressive development of identity, but rather to consider how lesbians in this study are located within a specific context, namely, a historically white university in post-apartheid South Africa, and how their identities are dynamic products of ever-shifting socio-historical spaces. Eight lesbians’ stories are analysed using the narrative-discursive method, which allows for a consideration for how the construction and negotiation of identities is shaped and constrained by social and discursive conditions. The women in this study do utilise the concept of coming out to some extent in their stories, but this narrative does not entirely account for their experiences. Instead, these women’s accounts reflect the way in which they personally experience heterosexism, and how they constantly negotiate their sexual identities within certain social and geographical spaces. When the nuances of lesbians’ contexts are taken into account, it becomes clear that claiming a lesbian identity is more than just about “coming out”, and rather about an on-going process of identity management.