Homosexual identity development

This paper presents an ideal-typical model of homosexual identity development that describes how committed homosexuals (i.e., women and men who see themselves as homosexual and adopt corresponding lifestyles) recall having developed perceptions of themselves as homosexual. The model consists of four stages: sensitization, identity confusion, identity assumption, and commitment. Often-repeated themes in the life histories of lesbians and gay males, clustered according to life stages, provide the content and characteristics of each stage.