Work

From conservatism to support for gay conversion therapy: the role of prejudice and beliefs about same-sex sexuality

Year: 2021

Type: article

Abstract: Support for Gay Conversion Therapy may be motivated by homophobic prejudice driven by conservative groups. We propose that Support for Gay Conversion Therapy (SGCT) is motivated by conservatism and that this relationship is mediated by prejudice against gay individuals. We tested these hypotheses in three studies. In Study 1 (N = 249), we found that conservative values predict SGCT, and that this effect is partly mediated by prejudice. In Study 2 (N = 247), we replicated this mediation and found that ethical-religious and psychological essentialist beliefs differently moderated it. Study 3 (N = 210) went further by experimentally showing the political consequences of SGCT. We showed that more conservative individuals tend to absolve psychologists who practice sexual conversion, and that both prejudice and conservative-motivated SGCT mediated this effect. We discussed these results by emphasizing the psychosocial process that motivates SGCT.

Source: The Journal of Social Psychology

DOI: 10.1080/00224545.2021.1955652

Authors: Flaviane Michelly Tenório de Souza, Carlos Eduardo Pimentel, Cicero Roberto Pereira

Institutions: Universidade Federal da Paraíba, University of Lisbon, Instituto de Ciências Sociais da Universidade de Lisboa

Language: English

Topic: LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy

Subfield: Social Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Funders: Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

Awards: G1506687783, G2763643389, Alcance e Significadosdo Enviesamento do Tempo em Relações Sociais Racializada