This article advances the understanding of workplace sexual identity management for lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals by examining three conceptual frameworks recently proposed in the organizational and psychological literature (Clair, Beatty, & MacLean, 2005; Lidderdale, Croteau, Anderson, TovarMurray, & Davis, 2007;Ragins, 2004Ragins, , 2008. After exploring two of the models that are based in stigma theory and one that is based in social cognitive theory, the article addresses new directions for understanding and studying sexual identity in the workplace through expanding and clarifying the prior conceptual work in the three models. Specifically, directions for greater clarity in definitions of identity management are suggested, recommendations for the integration and extension of perspectives on the relationship of identity management and workplace climate are made, and the need for expanding notions of sexual identity itself is promoted. R eviews of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) work-related scholarship in vocational psychology and organizational management have identified workplace sexual identity management as one of the key factors or "unifying themes" for study with respect to LGB workers and their workplaces
Prior research examining disclosure of sexual orientation at work suggests that lesbian and gay people employ diverse strategies for managing this nonvisible aspect of their identity. Yet, research concerning sexual identity management has been hampered by inadequate conceptual definition and measurement. This paper reports initial development of the Workplace Sexual Identity Management Measure (WSIMM) based on a conceptual model of lesbian and gay identity management supported by prior qualitative research. Psychometric properties of the WSIMM were examined for a sample of 172 student affairs professionals. Results suggest the WSIMM successfully assesses a continuum of identity management strategies and lend partial support for individual scales. Recommendations concerning appropriate uses and further refinement of the measure are provided.
This qualitative study investigated lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) doctoral students' mentoring relationships with faculty in counseling psychology. Data from semistructured interviews with 14 LGB participants was analyzed using a grounded theory approach. After submitting a preliminary description to a peer audit, and a "member check," a final description of these LGB doctoral students' mentoring relationships with faculty was constructed. The description included two interactive LGB-specific contextual themes (safety in the training environment regarding LGB issues and students' level of outness/disclosure regarding sexual orientation) that helped shape three themes regarding LGB students' experience of mentoring relationships (formation, functions, and impact). Seven recommendations for faculty mentors are made based on the results, and implications for research are addressed.
In the fi rst edition of this handbook, Croteau, Anderson, DiStefano, and Kampa-Kokesch (2000) provided a systematic comprehensive review and analysis of the foundational literature in lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) vocational psychology. They then suggested directions for future scholarship that would allow for the construction of more rigorous research and applied scholarship in this nascent fi eld. The authors summarized the literature from 1980 to 1996 into fi ve primary content areas: LGB identity development; anti-LGB discrimination in the workplace and LGB-related climate for LGB workers; managing sexual identity at work; societal messages and occupational interests, choices, and perceptions; and career practitioners and their interventions. In addition to the summaries of each content area, the authors emphasized that research efforts need to be more rigorous and involve a broader array of methods and that LGB vocational scholarship and practice need to be more grounded in specifi c theoretical formulations related to the experiences of this population. In the current chapter, we implement the recommendation to develop theoretical formu-
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