VALIDATION OF AN INCLUSIVE MODEL OF SEXUAL MINORITY IDENTITY FORMATION ON A SAMPLE OF GAY MEN

This article outlines the preliminary validation of a new, inclusive m odel of sexual minority identity formation (McCarn & Fassinger, 1996) on a sample of gay men. The model hypothesizes two separate but recipr ocal processes of individual sexual identity development and group mem bership identity development in a four-phase developmental sequence. T he model was developed and successfully validated on a sample of lesbi ans (briefly described here), and the present study replicates and ext ends this work, using a modified Q-sort methodology, on a sample of 34 diverse gay men. Results indicated support for the model, in terms of both individual and group processes as well as phases, and suggested that the model is applicable to gay men. Implications of the study for theory, research, and practice are discussed.