Sexual/Affectional and Religious/Spiritual Identities: Critical Incidents Associated to Self-Perceived Identity Integration

The identity negotiation process is unique for sexual/affectional (S/A) minorities who identify as religious and spiritual. Utilizing Enhanced Critical Incident Technique (Butterfield, Borgen, Amundson, et al., 2005; Butterfield, Borgen, Maglio, et al., 2009), the researchers interviewed 16 S/A minorities who identified as religious and spiritual, focusing on 255 critical incidents and wish list items that influenced their identity development and integration process. Emerging themes inform implications for culturally-informed clinical practice and consist of the following: soliciting confirmation, unsolicited messages, spiritual respite, seeking community, spiritual resiliency, and creating palatable experiences.