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A Dynamic-Ecological Model of Identity Formation and Conflict among Bisexually-Behaving African-American Men

  • ORIGINAL PAPER: BLACK AND LATINO MALE BISEXUALITIES SPECIAL SECTION
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Abstract

Understanding how ethnic, sexual, and masculine (ESM) identities form and possibly conflict among African-American men may be important to consider in explaining bisexual behavior in this population. It is proposed that the bisexual behavior among African-American who are primarily sexually attracted to other men may be a function of conflicting ESM identities. Comprehensively understanding the formation and conflict of ESM identities requires an examination of individuals, social contexts, and interactions between individuals and contexts. The current article presents a dynamic-ecological model of identity formation and conflict among ethnic minority men who have sex with men and uses the model to demonstrate how bisexual behavior among African-American men may be examined.

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Acknowledgements

The author gratefully acknowledges Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Ph.D., John L. Peterson, Ph.D., Kathleen Sikkema, Ph.D., and Jeannette Ickovics, Ph.D. for their comments on earlier drafts of the manuscript. The author also wishes to express his sincere thanks to the editors of the special issue, Theo Sandfort, Ph.D. and Brian Dodge, Ph.D., and the journal editor, Ken Zucker, Ph.D., for their insightful and constructive comments on this article.

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  1. Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 W. 168th Street, New York, NY, 10032, USA

    Patrick A. Wilson

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Wilson, P.A. A Dynamic-Ecological Model of Identity Formation and Conflict among Bisexually-Behaving African-American Men. Arch Sex Behav 37, 794–809 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-008-9362-9

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