Sexual Self-Schemas of Gay Men: A Qualitative Investigation

Self-schemas derive from past experience, influence current experiences, and facilitate the processing of sexual information. Using this concept, this study addressed the following question: How do gay men understand their own sexual self-schemas? Perspectives of 20 gay men were drawn together using a grounded theory methodology and member checking. A seven-category model emerged depicting the behaviors and values participants described as the gay male sexual schema (e.g., Avoidance of Emotional Expression; Pornography and Sexual Orientation Identity; Physically Attractive Men; Managing Sex and Social Perception; Competition for Men; Sex, Emotion, and Intimacy; and Commitment and Work in Relationships). In addition, all participants discussed a process of sexual self-schema transition over time. The resulting model may be used in counseling and in social justice and advocacy to produce adaptive changes for gay male clients.