Same-sex experiences are more prevalent than is thought. Individuals often engage in
same-sex behaviours in order to understand their same-sex attractions, which may result in the
incorrect integration of a homosexual or bisexual sexual identity. Same-sex behaviour may also
lead to feelings of guilt and shame, and can result in confusion regarding sexual identity, which
could ultimately influence the successful integration of a sexual identity (a key developmental
task during adolescence) and subsequent stages of an individual’s life. This study investigated
how young males experienced their sexual identity after having same-sex experiences. In order
to better understand these experiences, this study also looked at sexual identity and its
development from a psychosocial approach. In addition, this study also took a phenomenological
approach into account to better understand how young males understand their same-sex
experiences within their socio-cultural context.
The qualitative research method was used because it aims to understand how people make
sense of their everyday lives and foregrounds participants’ perceptions and experiences. When
researching human behaviour, context and behaviour cannot be separated and therefore a
phenomenological design was used. The population included five young males who lived in the
Boland and Northern suburbs of the Western Cape and who have had same-sex experiences. The
participants were selected utilizing the non-probability (convenient purposive) sampling
technique, however, the sampling procedure also made use of snowball sampling.
Biographically, the participants were between the ages of 18 and 24, and had different sexual orientations. The participants included black and white students who spoke Afrikaans or English,
and originated from different provinces in South Africa.
Data were collected through a two-part semi-structured interview. The first interview
focused on questions about the participants’ sexual preference and identity, same-sex
experiences and support system. During the second interview participants were asked to make a
collage representing how they viewed their sexual identity with regards to the same-sex
experiences they have had. This interview also focused on member checking. The collages and
member checking served as forms of triangulation.
Data were transcribed and analysed by means of a content analysis that focused on four
main categories. These categories corresponded to four main questions that formed part of the
first interview. The researcher concluded that each participant experienced his sexual identity
and same-sex encounters differently and that none of them experienced the development of their
sexual identity as ‘natural’ or as something that was present from birth. They all experienced
confusion and conflict about their sexual preference because it was in contrast to their sociocultural
context. Same-sex experiences were the result of confusion but also caused confusion
and this confusion was mostly experienced in the earlier life stages.
More research is needed on the heterosexual identity development of heterosexual
identified individuals who have same-sex experiences, so that these individuals can also be
accommodated within a sexuality. The development of programmes for therapeutic and/or
educational purposes, that focus on the sexual identity and sexual identity development of
adolescents, must also be considered in future research. / MA (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nwu/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/11169 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Joubert, Helena Elizabeth |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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