Attachment Style, Openness to Experience, and Social Contact as Predictors of Attitudes Toward Homosexuality

Metin-Orta I., Metin-Camgoz S.

JOURNAL OF HOMOSEXUALITY, vol.67, no.4, pp.528-553, 2020 (SSCI) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 67 Issue: 4
  • Publication Date: 2020
  • Doi Number: 10.1080/00918369.2018.1547562
  • Journal Name: JOURNAL OF HOMOSEXUALITY
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, ASSIA, IBZ Online, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, ATLA Religion Database, Educational research abstracts (ERA), EMBASE, Gender Studies Database, MEDLINE, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, PAIS International, Psycinfo, Public Affairs Index, Social services abstracts, Sociological abstracts, Violence & Abuse Abstracts
  • Page Numbers: pp.528-553
  • Hacettepe University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Considerable research has shown that people generally hold more negative attitudes toward homosexuals. Given this fact, it is important to understand psychological and social correlates of homophobia. With this purpose, the present study investigates attachment styles, openness to experience, and social contact in relation to attitudes toward homosexuals. The findings show that being female, having prior contact with homosexuals, and scoring high in openness to experience predict more favorable attitudes toward homosexuals. The supplementary analyses also support the moderating effect of secure attachment on the relationship between openness to experience and attitudes toward homosexuals. The present study not only extends the related research by examining the interactive effects of attachment style and personality trait, but also provides important implications for researchers, educators, or managers in terms of reducing anti-homosexual attitudes in diverse settings.