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Resilience in Lesbian and Gay Couples

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Couple Resilience

Abstract

Lesbian and gay couples, although similar in many ways to heterosexual couples, utilize unique strategies to develop secure, stable, and healthy relationships, within the hegemony of heteronormative cultural expectations. Despite increased social acceptance, embedded in the development of protective civil rights laws, same-sex couples continue to struggle with biased laws and homophobic public policy decisions, which can negatively influence their intimate relationships, and challenge the sanctity and safety of their family lives. However, protective factors are developed within the LGBTQ communities, and evidence suggests that adapting to the adversity and managing the stress of being a sexual minority might enhance certain coping strategies. Lesbian and gay couples have excellent skills in negotiating differences, and tend to have egalitarian relationships where power differentials are minimized. Gay and lesbian couples express high levels of satisfaction and resolve conflict constructively. Working with lesbian and couples requires careful attention to both the strengths and challenges unique to sexual minority identities, especially to the particular resiliencies developed in same-sex relationships within a homophobic culture.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Choices Counseling and Consulting, University at Albany, Albany, NY, USA

    Arlene Istar Lev

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  1. Arlene Istar Lev
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Correspondence to Arlene Istar Lev .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Ctr. for Applied Psychol. Study at Northwestern Univ., The Family Institute/, Evanston, Illinois, USA

    Karen Skerrett

  2. Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Karen Fergus

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Lev, A.I. (2015). Resilience in Lesbian and Gay Couples. In: Skerrett, K., Fergus, K. (eds) Couple Resilience. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9909-6_3

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