Date of Award
2025
Degree Type
Open Access Dissertation
Degree Name
Psychology, PhD
Program
School of Social Science, Politics, and Evaluation
Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair
Allen Omoto
Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member
Wesley Schultz
Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member
Adam Pearson
Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member
Jonathan Mohr
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
© 2025 Ivy A Carrete
Keywords
cultural psychology, disclosure, self-construal, sexual identity
Subject Categories
Psychology
Abstract
This research aimed to advance an empirically informed understanding of the role of culture in sexual identity management decisions and disclosure tendencies among sexual minority individuals (SMIs) from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Sexual identity management decisions – in relation to voluntary disclosure of sexual identity – reflect purposeful interactions between SMIs and their environments shaped by the self-concept and resulting in motivational preferences and tendencies regarding disclosure that permeate across social contexts and life domains (Jones & King, 2014, Lidderdale et al, 2007; Ragins, 2008). Recognizing cultural worldviews (e.g., collectivism and individualism) as deeply embedded within the self-concept, the present research considered cultural constructions of the self-concept to be at the crux of SMIs’ tendencies to disclose or conceal their sexual orientation across contexts. Self-construal (Markus & Kitayama, 1991) – the degree to which individuals see themselves as distinct and independent vs. connected and interdependent with others – was used as the cultural lens of the self-concept to examine disclosure tendencies. The present research marks a novel application of the self-construal framework that is also unique in its incorporation of multiple measures of self-construal. The traditional dual-model of self-construal (e.g., Singelis, 1994) was employed to test hypotheses and examine broader cultural effects among SMIs. Additionally, a multidimensional measure (e.g., Vignoles et al., 2016), featuring seven dimensions of self-construal was employed for exploratory analyses. Central to this study was targeted inclusion of ethnic and racial minorities, to facilitate comparisons between SMIs of color and White SMIs, addressing notable gaps and misconceptions regarding the sexual identity management decisions of SMIs of color and the cultural mechanisms underlying ethnic group differences in sexual identity management. A cross-sectional, self-report online survey was used to collect data from SMIs of diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds residing within the U.S. With a total sample size of 300 participants distributed relatively evenly between White SMIs and SMIs of color, comparisons were made in self-construal variables (e.g., independence and interdependence), disclosure tendencies (e.g., outness), and other key variables related to sexual identity management (e.g., perceived heterosexism, acceptance concerns, internalized homonegativity, and identity centrality), as well as in the predictive effects of these sexual identity management variables on outness. Findings indicated more similarities than differences between the two groups, as no significant group differences emerged in outness nor across the sexual identity management variables. Notably, analyses of hypothesized moderation of the associations between sexual identity management variables and outness by SMI group revealed only that sexual identity centrality predicted greater outness among White SMIs but was unrelated to outness among SMIs of color. Interestingly, SMIs of color scored higher on independent self-construal than White SMIs; however, interdependent self-construal scores did not differ between SMI groups. Findings also emphasized the relevance of self-construal for disclosure tendencies across all SMIs, irrespective of ethnic group membership. Specifically, higher scores of interdependent self-construal predicted greater outness, including beyond the effects of sexual identity variables (e.g., internalized homonegativity and identity centrality); interdependent self-construal had no effect on outness. Using the multidimensional self-construal construct, findings highlighted specific aspects of an independent self-construal that promote disclosure (e.g., a tendency to maintain consistent behavior across social contexts and a preference for defining the self as different from others). Further, mediation analyses confirmed that independent self-construal plays a crucial role in explaining differences in outness among SMIs, fully mediating the relationship between SMI group membership and outness. As such, this study is among the first to directly test a cultural explanation for ethnic group differences in outness, with findings emphasizing that culture, rather than race or ethnicity per se, is the key driver of meaningful psychological differences in sexual identity management. Altogether, study findings challenge theory and research designs that confine investigations of cultural influences to ethnic/racial minorities, a practice that reinforces the misconception that culture is a relevant construct only to people of color (Bieschke et al., 2008). In effect, culture and self-construal are central aspects of the human experience for all individuals, including SMIs, regardless of ethnic or racial backgrounds. Findings also align with theories emphasizing the importance of the self-concept in sexual identity management, highlighting self-construal as distinctly influential from sexual identity variables. Therefore, just as sexual identity is recognized as an essential factor in understanding outness and sexual identity management processes, the findings from this study emphasize the need to incorporate self-construal into this framework. By doing so, future research can capture influential elements of the self-concept distinct from sexual identity, for a more comprehensive understanding of the individual factors that shape sexual identity management and disclosure tendencies.
ISBN
9798315701675
Recommended Citation
Carrete, Ivy Alexandra. (2025). Outness Through a Cultural Lens: Self-Construal Impacts Disclosure Among Diverse Sexual Minority Individuals. CGU Theses & Dissertations, 938. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/938.
