DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS OF ANTIHOMOSEXUAL PREJUDICE IN HETEROSEXUAL MEN AND WOMEN

Antihomosexual prejudice, popularly referred to as "homophobia," is a complex phenomenon whose roots traditionally have been traced to the cultural context. However, such theoretical explanations fall short of accounting for the power and endurance of this bias. By locating the threat of homophobia in the development of male core gender identity and female heterosexual object choice, the author suggests that heterosexual men's and women's responses to homosexuality may have different origins. She further argues that only by combining cultural with psychodynamic factors may the clinician develop a sufficiently empathic response to patients struggling with homophobic affects. © 1991 Human Sciences Press, Inc.