抄録・内容(英) | The present study examines the relationship between heterosexuals' gender self-esteem and their attitudes toward homosexuals of the same sex. In Study 1, heterosexual men were presented with two types of homosexual men (masculine vs. effeminate) and asked to indicate their feelings toward them. It was shown that heterosexual men's attitudes toward homosexual men were, in principle, not predictable by either their gender self-esteem or the target (homosexual male) type. However, when they were informed that, biologically, homosexuals do not differ from heterosexuals, they reacted more negatively toward a masculine, as compared to an effeminate, homosexual man. In Study 2, heterosexual women were presented with two types of lesbian women (feminine vs. manly) and asked to indicate how they felt toward them. Specifically, the more positive the heterosexual women's gender self-esteem, the more favorable their attitudes toward lesbians were. Heterosexual women also tended to exhibit less favorable views of manly, as compared to feminine, lesbians. However, when informed that there are no biological differences between heterosexuals and homosexuals, a negative correlation between the heterosexual women's gender self-esteem and favorable attitudes toward lesbians emerged, and their favoritism toward feminine-type lesbians disappeared. Overall, the results suggest that psychological mechanisms that underlie the formation of attitudes toward same-sex homosexuals are quite different between heterosexual men and women in terms of the role of gender self-esteem and the function of biological information. |