Abstract
Unlike many minority members, lesbian and gay employees often make conscious decisions about revealing their minority status at work. Past research suggests that lesbian and gay employees utilize different strategies (i.e., counterfeiting, avoidance, integrating) to manage a stigmatized sexual identity. This study explored the relationship between each strategy and predicted antecedents (i.e., sexual identity achievement, perceived organizational climate) and consequences (i.e., open group process). Results demonstrated that lesbian and gay employees are more likely to adopt an integrating strategy when they have higher sexual identity achievement and perceive an affirming organizational climate. Open group process was found to have a negative relationship with avoidance. A significant positive relationship was found between counterfeiting and open group process, suggesting that maintaining a false identity may facilitate some work group interactions. Implications for work group relationships and future research are discussed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Badgett, L. M. V. (1995). The wage effects of sexual orientation discrimination. Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 48(4), 726-739.
Badgett, L. M. V. (1996). Employment and sexual orientation: Disclosure and discrimination in the workplace. Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services, 4(4), 29-52.
Behrens, J. T. (1997). Does the White Racial Identity Attitude Scale measure racial identity? Journal of Counseling Psychology, 44, 3-12.
Bohan, J. S. (1996). Psychology and sexual orientation: Coming to terms. New York: Routledge.
Button, S. B. (1996). Organizational efforts to affirm sexual diversity: A multi-level examination. Doctoral thesis, The Pennsylvania State University.
Button, S. B. (1999). Identity management strategies: A quantitative investigation. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Atlanta, Georgia.
Button, S.B. (2001). Organizational efforts to affirm sexual diversity:Across-level examination. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86, 17-28.
Cain, R. (1991). Stigma management and gay identity development. Social Work, 36, 67-73.
Campion, M., Medsker, G. J., & Higgs, A. C. (1993). Relations between work group characteristics and effectiveness: Implications for designing effective work groups. Personnel Psychology, 46, 823-850.
Cass, V. C. (1979). Homosexual identity formation: A theoretical model. Journal of Homosexuality, 4, 219-235.
Chrobot-Mason, D. (in press). Managing racial differences: The role of majority managers' ethnic identity development on minority employee perceptions of support. Group and Organization Management.
Cohen, S. G., & Bailey, D. E. (1997). What makes teams work: Group effectiveness research from the shop floor to the executive suite. Journal of Management, 23(3), 239-290.
Crocker, J., & Major, B. (1989). Social stigma and self-esteem: The self-protective properties of stigma. Psychological Review, 96(4), 608-630.
Cross, W. E. (1978). The Cross and Thomas models of psychological nigrescence. Journal of Black Psychology, 5, 13-19.
Croteau, J. M. (1996). Research on the work experiences of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people: An integrative review of methodology and findings. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 48, 195-209.
Day, N. E., & Schoenrade, P. (1997). Staying in the closet versus coming out: Relationships between communication about sexual orientation and work attitudes. Personnel Psychology, 50, 147-163.
Derlega, V. J., Metts, S., Petronio, S., & Margulis, S. T. (1993). Self-disclosure. Newbury Park: Sage.
Driscoll, J. M., Kelley, F. A., & Fassinger, R. E. (1996). Lesbian identity and disclosure in the workplace: Relation to occupational stress and satisfaction. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 48, 229-242.
Ellis, A. L., & Riggle, E. D. B. (1995). The relation of job satisfaction and degree of openness about one's sexual orientation for lesbians and gay men. Journal of Homosexuality, 30(2), 75-85.
Fassinger, R. E. (1996). Notes from the margins: Integrating lesbian experience into the vocational psychology of women. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 48, 160-175.
Frable, D. E. S., Platt, L., & Hoey, S. (1998). Concealable stigma and positive self-perceptions: Feeling better around similar others. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 909-922.
Friskopp, A., & Silverstein, S. (1995). Straight jobs, gay lives: Gay and lesbian professionals, the Harvard Business School, and the American Workplace. New York: Touchstone/Simon & Schuster.
Goffman, E. (1963). Stigma: Notes on the management of a spoiled identity. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Gonsiorek, J. C. (1993). Threat, stress, and adjustment: Mental health and the workplace for gay and lesbian individuals. In L. Diamant (Ed.), Homosexual issues in the workplace (pp. 243-264). Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis.
Hackman, J. R. (1987). The design of work teams. In J. W. Lorsch (Ed.), Handbook of organizational behavior (pp. 315-342). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Hall, M. (1986). The lesbian corporate experience. Journal of Homosexuality, 12, 59-75.
McNaught, B. (1993). Gay issues in the workplace. New York: St. Martin's Press.
Phinney, J. S. (1992). The multigroup ethnic identity measure. Journal of Adolescent Research, 7, 156-176.
Powers, B., & Ellis, A. L. (1995). A manager's guide to sexual orientation in the workplace. New York: Routledge.
Ragins, B. R., & Cornwell, J. M. (2001). Pink triangles: Antecedents and consequences of perceived workplace discrimination against gay and lesbian employees. Journal of Applied Psychology, 80(6), 1244-1261.
Schneider, B. E. (1987). Coming out at work. Work and Occupations, 13(4), 463-487.
Seashore, S. E., Lawler, E. E., Mirvis, P., & Cammann, C. (Eds.). (1982). Observing and measuring organizational change: A guide to field practice. New York: Wiley.
Seers, A. (1989). Team-member exchange quality: A new construct for role-making research. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 43, 118-135.
Triandis, H. C., Kurowski, L. L., & Gelfand, M. J. (1994). Workplace diversity. In H. C. Triandis, M. D. Dunnette, & L. M. Hough (Eds.), Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology (Vol. 4, 2nd ed., pp. 769-827). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
Waldo, C. R. (1999). Working in a majority context: A structural model of heterosexism as minority stress in the workplace. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 46(2), 218-232.
Walters, K. L., & Simoni, J. M. (1993). Lesbian and gay male group identity attitudes and self-esteem: Implications for counseling. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 40, 94-99.
Woods, J. D. (with Lucas, J. H.). (1993). The corporate closet: The professional lives of gay men in America. New York: The Free Press.
Woods, S. E., & Harbeck, K.M. (1991). Living in two worlds: The identity management strategies used by lesbian physical educators. Journal of Homosexuality, 22, 141-166.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Chrobot-Mason, D., Button, S.B. & DiClementi, J.D. Sexual Identity Management Strategies: An Exploration of Antecedents and Consequences. Sex Roles 45, 321–336 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014357514405
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014357514405