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1. Identity Confusion: Individuals experience confusion and uncertainty about their sexual orientation, questioning their identity.
2. Identity Assumption: Individuals acknowledge and accept their same-sex attractions, beginning to identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual.
3. Commitment: Individuals integrate their sexual identity into their overall sense of self, leading to a more stable and congruent identity.

Cass’s (1979) Model: Homosexual Identity Development

Cass’s model focuses specifically on the development of homosexual identity. It proposes a six-stage process:

1. Identity Confusion: Individuals become aware of homosexual thoughts, feelings, and attractions, experiencing confusion and turmoil.
2. Identity Comparison: Individuals accept the possibility of being homosexual and examine the implications of that tentative commitment.
3. Identity Tolerance: Individuals acknowledge their likely homosexual orientation and seek out other homosexual individuals to reduce feelings of isolation.
4. Identity Acceptance: Individuals accept their homosexual identity and have a more positive self-image.
5. Identity Pride: Individuals embrace their homosexual identity and may become active in the gay community, rejecting heterosexual norms.
6. Identity Synthesis: Individuals integrate their homosexual identity with other aspects of their identity, viewing it as one part of their whole self.

Cross’s (1971, Revised in 1991) Model: Black Racial Identity Development

Cross’s model, also known as the Nigrescence model, describes the process of developing a Black racial identity in a society that devalues Blackness. It has evolved over time, with the revised model outlining four stages:

1. Pre-Encounter: Individuals internalize mainstream, White cultural views and may devalue Blackness.
2. Encounter: Individuals experience a significant event or series of events that challenge their previous views and lead to a reevaluation of their racial identity.
3. Immersion-Emersion: Individuals immerse themselves in Black culture, idealizing Blackness and rejecting Whiteness.
4. Internalization: Individuals develop a stable and positive Black identity, integrating it with other aspects of their identity and demonstrating a range of attitudes towards both Black and White cultures.

Comparison and Contrast

Similarities:

• Stage-Based Progression: All three models propose stage-based processes of identity development, suggesting that individuals move through a series of phases or steps.
• Influence of Social Context: All models acknowledge the significant impact of social context on identity development. They highlight how societal attitudes, discrimination, and cultural norms influence how individuals understand and accept their identities.
• Central Role of Awareness: Each model emphasizes the importance of becoming aware of one’s identity. This awareness is a catalyst for the subsequent stages of exploration, questioning, and eventual acceptance.
• Movement towards Acceptance: The models all generally depict a process that moves toward a greater acceptance of the person’s identity, whether it is a sexual, homosexual, or racial identity.

Differences:

• Focus of Identity: The models focus on different aspects of identity: sexual orientation (Troiden, Cass) and race (Cross).
• Specificity: Cass’s model is more specific to homosexual identity development, while Troiden’s model offers a broader framework for sexual identity. Cross’s model is specific to the experience of Black individuals in navigating racial identity development.
• Nature of Stages: The stages in each model vary in their content and emphasis. For example, Cross’s model includes stages of immersion and emersion, which are not explicitly present in the other two models.
• Linearity vs. Fluidity: While all models present stages, some researchers argue that identity development is not always linear and can be more fluid, with individuals moving back and forth between stages or experiencing multiple stages simultaneously.

Conceptualization of the Identity Process

• Troiden’s model conceptualizes sexual identity development as a process of becoming aware of, questioning, and eventually integrating one’s sexual orientation into their overall identity.
• Cass’s model views homosexual identity development as a process of moving from confusion and denial to acceptance, pride, and ultimately, synthesis with other aspects of self.
• Cross’s model conceptualizes Black racial identity development as a process of moving from internalization of negative stereotypes to a positive and affirming sense of Blackness, while navigating a society marked by racism.