A qualitative study of adult development and career transition in gay male dancers.
Item
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Title
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A qualitative study of adult development and career transition in gay male dancers.
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Identifier
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AAI3063831
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identifier
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3063831
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Creator
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Grady, Daniel Joseph.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Laurence J. Gould
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Date
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2002
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Developmental | Psychology, Social | Psychology, Clinical
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Abstract
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The lives of ten gay, professional male dancers between the ages of thirty-six and fifty-five were examined to gain an understanding of them as gay men, their career choices, and their experiences of change and transition. The study attempted to capture and describe significant experiences and pivotal moments throughout the life span for this sample using in-depth psychobiographical qualitative interviewing. Five participants had transitioned or were in the process of transitioning into a career unrelated to dance. Another five participants were performing or actively pursuing careers within the performing world. Themes and ideas generated from the data analyses raised several hypotheses and suggested a model of transition specific to gay male dancers.;Analysis of the data indicated that no single theory of adult development, gay identity acquisition or transition adequately captured the experiences of the ten participants. A pervasive sense of difference as children became intimately linked to each participant's sexual identity and sense of masculinity which supported the contemporary literature on narcissistic vulnerabilities and gender stress in gay men. Validating experiences in adolescence and young adulthood allowed dance and musical theater to serve a reparative, self-object function in providing a space to express hidden, core aspects of themselves and develop positive gay identities. Achieving professional success, coming out to themselves, and having access to other gay dancers provided a sense of competence and male camaraderie. However, being immersed in a gay-friendly environment provided few opportunities for these men to continue the process of coming out in larger contexts. Differences in the experiences of the transitioners and nontransitions were described in several periods across the life-span, including the transitioners' increased ability to further negotiate coming out and to find suitable models for mentoring and identification during the transition process. Transition then became more than changing careers but included coming to terms with and further integrating their sexual identity and enhancing their capacity to form and maintain intimate relationships beyond the performing domain.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
