Comparing Heterosexuals’ and Gay Men/Lesbians’ Responses to Relationship Problems and the Effects of Internalized Homophobia on Gay Men/Lesbians’ Responses to Relationship Problems in Turkey

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was twofold: (1) to investigate the effects of sexual orientation (heterosexuals and gay men/lesbians) and gender difference on responses to romantic relationship problems (Exit, Voice, Loyalty, and Neglect [EVLN] responses) and of perceived partner's EVLN responses in Turkey, and (2) to examine whether internalized homophobia was associated with EVLN responses and perceived partner's EVLN responses for gay men and lesbians. Responses to Dissatisfaction Scale-Accommodation Instrument, Internalized Homophobia, and Demographics Information were administered to 187 participants (44 lesbians, 44 gay men, 53 heterosexual women, 46 heterosexual men).The MANCOVA results showed that men reported higher loyalty than women, whereas women presented more exit responses than men. Further, the interactions between gender and sexual orientation on the participants' EVLN responses and on the perceived partner's EVLN responses were significant. With respect to heterosexual women, heterosexual men displayed more loyalty responses. Lesbians had higher scores on loyalty than did heterosexual women. Lesbians also had higher scores on perceived partner's exit response than did heterosexual women and gay men. On the contrary, heterosexual women reported more perceived partner's voice response than lesbians. In addition, lesbians reported higher perceived partner's neglect responses than heterosexual women. Compared to heterosexual women, heterosexual men reported higher perceived partner's exit response. Finally, internalized homophobia was associated with destructive responses for both lesbians and gay men.

Sexual Transgressions in Couples: The Influence of Dependence and Commitment on their Perception and Handling

“…These results are consistent with previous research findings in showing that women (versus men), generally speaking, take a more negative view of transgressions in romantic relationships, independently of the nature of the transgression committed (Beltrán-Morillas et al, 2015;Garrido-Macías et al, 2017). Regarding the use of conflict resolution strategies, we corroborated earlier research findings by confirming that women use strategies of exit and voice more, and strategies of loyalty less, as compared to men (Okutan et al, 2017;Stolarski et al, 2011).…”

“…This study's second limitation relates to sample characteristics, specifically, the fact that more women participated could influence the results. We say that with due consideration of earlier findings that there are gender differences in perceptions of transgressions and use of conflict resolution strategies (e.g., Beltrán-Morillas et al, 2015;Garrido-Macías et al, 2017;Okutan et al, 2017;Stolarski et al 2011). In that regard, a more true-to-life proportion of men and women in the sample would be preferred, to guarantee the replicability of results.…”

“…Generally speaking, recent literature affirms that women, compared to men, perceive transgressions as more serious (Beltrán-Morillas et al, 2015;Garrido-Macías et al, 2017) and tend to make greater use of active strategies like voice and exit, and less use of the passive strategy loyalty. That said, gender differences have not been observed in the use of neglect strategies (Okutan et al, 2017;Stolarski et al, 2011).…”

Dark desires: The Dark Tetrad and relationship control

“…There is, however, some evidence to suggest that relationship length has little influence on desired control (Brewer et al, 2018). Furthermore, we did not assess relationship type (i.e., same sex, heterosexual, open relationships) and it is possible that the Dark Tetrad traits may operate differently across distinct relationship types (Okutan, Buyuksahin, & Sakalli, 2017). Finally, due to the cross-sectional nature of the present study, future research may benefit from considering longitudinal methods and strengthening current measures by obtaining responses from both relationship partners.…”

Responding to gender and sexual minority stress with functional analytic psychotherapy.

“…In a cross-sectional study of bisexual women’s experiences, internalized biphobia was positively related to relationship infidelity (Hoang, Holloway, & Mendoza, 2011). In cross-sectional studies with gay men, higher levels of internalized homophobia in relationships led to destructive styles of relationship patterns and the perception of their partners as being neglectful (Okutan, Suna., & Ugurlu, 2017). Internalized homophobia is negatively correlated with emotional intimacy (Šević, Ivanković, & Štulhofer, 2016), and in conjunction with experiences of discrimination predicts the perception of lower relationship quality (Otis, Rostosky, Riggle, & Hamrin, 2006).…”