Ex-Gays? A Longitudinal Study of Religiously Mediated Change in Sexual Orientation

by Stanton L. Jones; Mark A. Yarhouse

Publisher:

IVP Academic

, 2007

Overview

Is it possible to be an ex gay?

Stanton L. Jones and Mark A. Yarhouse present social science research on homosexuality designed to answer the questions:

• Can those who receive religiously-informed psychotherapy experience a change in their sexual orientation?
• Are such programs harmful to participants?

The results show that outcomes for this kind of religiously-informed psychotherapy are similar to outcomes of therapy for other psychological problems. Such programs do not appear to be harmful on average to individuals.

This research will be of interest to all those who want to know the latest research on sexual orientation change and the effects of religiously-informeded programs on those who utilize them.

Key Features

• Examines outcomes of religiously-informed psychotherapy
• Presents social science research on homosexuality
• Provides a thoroughly described rationale for their procedures

Contents

• The Controversy
• Understanding the Population: Christian Views of Sexuality, Ethical Norms, and Views of Healing and Change
• Rationale for the Study
• Methodology for This Study
• Our Sample
• Understanding and Measuring Change of Sexual Orientation
• Can Sexual Orientation Change? Report of the Quantitative Analysis
• Can Sexual Orientation Change? Report of the Qualitative (and Supporting Quantitative) Analyses
• Is the Attempt to Change Harmful? Impact on Psychological and Spiritual Functioning
• Conclusion

Praise for the Print Edition

Psychologists have long championed and cared for the ‘other’ of our society—the weird, the abnormal, the minority and the less powerful. Although this book may at first appear to attack the other--in this case, those who consider themselves gay—this book is the other of psychological research. This book addresses ideas that are other than the ideas of psychology’s power centers and power brokers. It addresses questions about homosexuality that are not asked by the mainstream and the majority of our discipline. Yet, like most any ‘other,’ it deserves a hearing, whether or not we agree with it. It especially deserves a hearing because it follows the principles of those who deserve hearings in psychology—careful scholarship and empirical rigor.

—Brent D. Slife, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist and Professor of Psychology, Brigham Young University

Can some motivated people alter aspects of their sexuality through religious ministry? With the publication of Ex-Gays? Stanton Jones and Mark Yarhouse have produced the most rigorous study to date to address this question. Knowing their results would generate controversy, the authors have thoroughly described the rationale for their procedures. While the authors fully acknowledge that change in sexual attractions did not occur for some individuals, they offer cogent and compelling reasons to believe that participation in religious ministry resulted in durable changes for others. The Jones and Yarhouse study will set the standard for all future work in this field and demands a serious reading from social scientists. For anyone interested in the study of sexuality, values and human change, this book is a must-read.

—Warren Throckmorton, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology and Fellow for Psychology and Public Policy, Grove City College, coauthor of the Sexual Identity Therapy Framework, and producer of I Do Exist

Research in the controversial area of homosexuality is fraught with ideology and plagued by a dearth of science. This study has broken new ground in its adherence to objectivity and a scientific precision that can be replicated and expanded, and it opens new horizons for investigation. It is the kind of scientific research I had in mind when in the mid-1970s I introduced my successful resolution in the APA Council of Representatives that homosexuality is not a disease, but a complex constellation of factors that requires scientific investigation to further our understanding of its etiology, its many parameters and its subjectivity to change. I have waited over thirty years for this refreshing, penetrating study of an imperative, though controversial, human condition. This book is must-reading for psychotherapists and counselors, as well as academic psychologists studying human behavior and sexuality.

—Nicholas A. Cummings, Ph.D., SC.D., Former President, American Psychological Association; Distinguished Professor, University of Nevada, Reno; President, Cummings Foundation for Behavioral Health

Product Details

• Title: Ex-Gays?: A Longitudinal Study of Religiously Mediated Change in Sexual Orientation
• Authors: Stanton L. Jones, Mark A. Yarhouse
• Publisher: IVP Academic
• Print Publication Date: 2007
• Logos Release Date: 2020
• Pages: 414
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Homosexuality › Religious aspects--Christianity; Homosexuality › Treatment--Moral and ethical aspects; Ex-gay movement; Sexual reorientation programs; Ex-gays; Sexual orientation
• ISBNs: 9780830875139, 9780830828463, 0830875131, 083082846X
• Resource ID: LLS:XGYSLNGTDNRNTTN
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T04:30:53Z

About the Authors

Stanton L. Jones is provost and professor of psychology at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. During his tenure as chair of the psychology department (1984-1996), he led the development of Wheaton's Doctor of Psychology program in clinical psychology. He received his BS in psychology from Texas A & M University in 1976, and his MA (1978) and PhD (1981) in clinical psychology from Arizona State University.

Mark A. Yarhouse (PsyD, Wheaton College) is the Dr. Arthur P. Rech & Mrs. Jean May Rech Endowed Chair and professor of psychology at Wheaton College where he runs the Sexual & Gender Identity Institute and is a core faculty member in the doctoral program in clinical psychology. He is a licensed clinical psychologist.

Sample Pages from Ex-Gays? A Longitudinal Study of Religiously Mediated Change in Sexual Orientation