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Self-expansion within sexual minority relationships
Kevin P McIntyre1, Brent A Mattingly2, Ilana Issula1
1Trinity University.
The Journal of Social Psychology
|March 13, 2024
Summary
Self-expansion, or growing one's self-concept through relationships, is similar in sexual minority and heterosexual individuals. High self-expansion can buffer sexual minority individuals against relationship stressors like internalized homonegativity.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Relationship Science
Background:
- The self-expansion model posits that individuals enhance their self-concept through relationships.
- Self-expansion is a key predictor of relationship success.
- Previous research has not explored self-expansion within sexual minority populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate self-expansion levels in sexual minority individuals compared to heterosexuals.
- To examine the role of self-expansion in relationship outcomes for sexual minorities.
- To explore the interplay between sexual minority stress and self-expansion in relationships.
Main Methods:
- Participants included 226 sexual minority and 104 heterosexual individuals.
- Measures assessed self-expansion, relationship outcomes, and sexual minority stress.
- Statistical analyses examined moderation and correlation effects.
Main Results:
- Sexual minorities reported self-expansion levels comparable to heterosexuals.
- Self-expansion did not moderate relationship satisfaction, investments, or quality of alternatives based on sexual orientation.
- Sexual minority status moderated the link between self-expansion and commitment.
- For sexual minorities, self-expansion correlated negatively with stressors like internalized homonegativity and concealment.
- Self-expansion buffered negative associations between stressors (internalized homonegativity, concealment) and relationship outcomes (satisfaction, commitment).
Conclusions:
- Self-expansion is relevant across diverse sexual orientations.
- Self-expansion can mitigate the adverse effects of minority stress on relationship quality for sexual minorities.
- Promoting self-expansion may be a valuable strategy for enhancing relationship resilience in sexual minority individuals.
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