More recent theorists contend that there has been an expansion of the period between childhood and adulthood for young people in industrialized societies, and consider the time between late teens and the mid-twenties to be a distinct developmental period called emerging adulthood ( Arnett, 1997, 2000). The formation of a solidified identity has been considered by many theorists to be the primary developmental goal of adolescence ( Adams, Gullotta, & Montemayor, 1992 Erikson, 1968 1980). In order to develop a mature overall adult identity an adolescent needs to engage in both identity exploration where s/he tries out various roles/life plans and continually re-examines their degree of personal fit, and identity commitment where s/he invests in a particular course of action or belief ( Erikson, 1980 Marcia, 1980, 2007). Future research and practice may explore the Internet as a platform for promoting the healthy development of gay and bisexual male adolescents by providing a developmentally and culturally appropriate venue for the exploration and subsequent commitment to an integrated sexual orientation identity.ĭuring adolescence individuals explore various sexual, occupational, ideological, and cultural roles as they attempt to integrate their life experiences and solidify their unique and mature personal adult identity ( Erikson, 1980). Youth reported that the Internet provided a range of functions with regard to the exploration and acceptance of their sexual orientation identity, including: 1) increasing self awareness of sexual orientation identity 2) learning about gay/bisexual community life 3) communicating with other gay/bisexual people 4) meeting other gay/bisexual people 5) finding comfort and acceptance with sexual orientation and 6) facilitating the coming out process. Participants reported using a range of Internet applications as they explored and came to accept their sexual orientation identity, with the intended purpose and degree of anonymity desired determining which applications were used. Qualitative interviews were conducted with an ethnically diverse sample of 63 gay/bisexual male adolescents (ages 15–23).
The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the role of the Internet in facilitating the sexual orientation identity development process of gay and bisexual male adolescents.
One emerging avenue for the exploration of adolescents’ sexual orientation identity development is the Internet since it allows for varying degrees of anonymity and exploration.
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