Self-Perceived Origins of Attitudes Toward Homosexuality

Abstract

Undergraduate students (N = 417) at a large southern university responded to open-ended questions designed to assess self-perceived origins of attitudes toward homosexuality and circumstances that may prompt a shift in attitudes. Inductively coded responses pointed to a positive correlation between attitudes toward homosexuality and experience interacting with gay men or lesbians; this is discussed in the context of Allport's (1954 Allport, G. 1954. The nature of prejudice, Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. [Google Scholar]) contact hypothesis and Herek's (1984 Herek, G. M. 1984. Beyond “homophobia”: A social psychological perspective on attitudes toward lesbians and gay men. Journal of Homosexuality, 10: 1–21. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], 1986 Herek, G.M. 1986. The instrumentality of attitudes: Toward a neofunctional theory. Journal of Social Issues, 42: 99–114. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) theory of functional attitudes. Implications are discussed for education and intervention efforts aimed at facilitating understanding and tolerance of gay men and lesbians.