Running head: CORRELATION BETWEEN SELF-ACCEPTANCE AND HOMOPHOBIA

A Correlational Study between Self-acceptance and Homophobia among College Students

Cy M. Rodriguez
University of the Philippines Manila

CORRELATION BETWEEN SELF-ACCEPTANCE AND HOMOPHOBIA

Abstract
How much we accept ourselves and other people play a vital role in our daily lives. The highlight of this
research is to determine if there is any significant relationship between self-acceptance and homophobia.
Likewise, additional research about these two concepts with added factors such as: sex, age and
experience, on how they affect the adolescent population will help us in utilizing the effects for future
studies. The study also involves subject variables that may have significant relations with the two
constructs. Self-acceptance involves positive self-regard, that is, to value and feel good about oneself.
Homophobia is the prejudice against homosexuals. Third year to fourth year college students (N=100)
between the ages of 17 and 25 years (M=19.39, SD=1.19) answered a questionnaire measuring selfacceptance and homophobia. Pearson correlation data analysis of the respondents self-acceptance and
homophobia scores revealed a significant negative correlation, r(98) = -.363, p =.01, two-tailed. This
correlation indicates that people with high self-acceptance tend to be less homophobic. The results
involving the subject variables also showed significant relationships with self-acceptance and
homophobia.
Keywords: self-acceptance, homophobia

CORRELATION BETWEEN SELF-ACCEPTANCE AND HOMOPHOBIA

A Correlational Study between Self-acceptance and Homophobia among College Students

How much we accept ourselves and other people play a vital role in our daily lives. There are
issues regarding self-acceptance and acceptance of other people that need further study. Likewise,
additional research about these two concepts with added factors such as: gender, age and experience,
on how they affect the adolescent population will help us in utilizing the effects for future studies. Coons
and McEachern (1967) emphasize the significance of correlating these constructs:
The importance of self-acceptance and acceptance-of-others has figured prominently in
personality theories of a number of writers (Fromm, 1941; Horney, 1937; Snygg & Combs, 1949;
Rogers, 1951, 1961). In fact, Rogers (1961) has construed his system of therapy as being a
means of bringing about modification of attitudes towards self which, in turn, is accompanied by
more accepting attitudes toward others (p. 36). Efficient interpersonal relations are held to be very
closely tied to attitudes of self-acceptance and acceptance-of-others. (p. 716)
The specific acceptance-of-others concept in focus in this study is homophobia, defined by as
Falomir-Pichastor and Mugny (2009) as negative attitude toward an individual because of his or her social
orientation (p. 1233).
The highlight of this research is to determine if there is any significant relationship between selfacceptance and homophobia. This paper considers connections in the data that we will gather between
self-acceptance and homophobia. The study also involves subject variables that may have significant
relations with the two constructs. We present two possible hypotheses. First, there is no significant
relationship at all between the two constructs. And the alternative being self-acceptance having negative
correlation with homophobia, based on Weinstein et al. (2012) that present research highlights that
successful self-acceptance correlates to less homophobic attitudes (p. 829).
Method
Respondents
Among the third year to fourth year college students (N=100) between the ages of 17 and 25
years (M=19.39, SD=1.19). An equal number of male (n=50) and female (n=50) respondents were
selected. They came from different colleges in Manila, Philippines. Members of the committee in-charge
of administering the questionnaire recruited college students near the area.

CORRELATION BETWEEN SELF-ACCEPTANCE AND HOMOPHOBIA

Instrument
The first part of the questionnaire asked for the respondents demographic information: sex,
school, age, level of education, degree program under, religion and school (see Demographic
information1). The second and third were the self-acceptance and the homophobia scale questionnaires,
respectively. The last part consisted four dichotomous questions for additional subject variables.
Measurement of self-acceptance. The 36-item Bergers (1952) scale was designed to measure
the degree of a persons self-acceptance. It is a five-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 which is strongly
agree to 5 which is strongly disagree. Eight items were reversely scored. The higher the score, the higher
the self-acceptance. According to Coons and McEachern (1967), the estimated whole-test reliabilities
ranged from 0.75 to 0.89 (p. 716). Self-acceptance refers to an individual's satisfaction with himself being
positively correlated with variables as: performance attitudes, perceptual accuracy, lower incidence of
depression, less psychosomatic symptoms, less self-blame, and lower anxiety scores. (Wylie, 1961,
1979, as cited in Gansneder, Rotella, and Waite, 1990, p.274).
Measurement of homophobia. The homophobia scale by Wright, Adams and Bernat (1999)
consists of 25 items which is aimed to determine how homophobic a person is. It was devised to
measure ones thoughts, feelings and behaviors with regard to homosexuality. It is a five-point Likert
scale, ranging from 1 which is strongly agree to 5 which is strongly disagree. Nine items were reversely
scored. The lower the score, the less homophobic the person is. Byrne Fone (2000) suggests that
homophobia means fear and dislike of homosexuality and of those who practice it (p. 5). Homosexuality
describes sexual desire or relationships between people of the same sex. (Byrne Fone, 2000, p. 4).
Dreyer (2006) also adds that homophobia is an irrational fear and disgust of homosexuality (p. 168).
Procedure
Data collection. Members of the committee assigned to administer the questionnaire personally
assisted and guided the respondents in answering the questionnaire. This research operated with ethical
practices to guarantee that the respondents were not maltreated by participating. We paid particular
attention to ensuring that the respondents were sensibly knowledgeable and recognized the nature of this
research. Confidentiality was maintained by anonymising the data and utilizing codenames for the name
of participants.

CORRELATION BETWEEN SELF-ACCEPTANCE AND HOMOPHOBIA

Data analysis. The data of each respondent are consisted of their demographics, average selfacceptance score, average homophobia score, and dichotomous subject variables. Pearson correlation
was used to determine if there is a significant relationship between self-acceptance and homophobia.
Simple t-tests were also used to determine a significant relationship between the mean score of selfacceptance and homophobia regarding the dichotomous subject variables, namely: sex, experience of
abuse from homosexuals, and having a friend or family member who is openly homosexual. The
Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze the data.
Results
Pearson correlation data analysis of the respondents self-acceptance and homophobia scores
revealed a significant negative correlation, r(98) = -.363, p =.01, two-tailed. This correlation indicates that
people with high self-acceptance tend to be less homophobic (see Figure 1 for the scatterplot that shows
the relation of self-acceptance and homophobia).
Additionally, the mean self-acceptance score of males (M=3.18, SD=0.55) were significantly
lower compared to females (M=3.49, SD=0.58); t(49)=2.73, p = .0087. While the mean homophobia score
of males (M=2.33, SD=0.62) were significantly higher compared to females (M=1.98, SD=0.51);
t(49)=2.93, p = .0051. Also, respondents who said that they have experienced abuse from homosexuals
(M=2.40, SD=0.77) generally have higher homophobia scores than those who did not experience any
abuse from homosexuals (M=2.09, SD=0.51); t(98)=2.23, p = .0281. And those who have friends that are
openly homosexual (M=2.12, SD=0.57) have generally have lower scores of homophobia than those who
do not have friends that are openly homosexual (M=2.59, SD=0.69); t(98)=2.04, p = .0444 (see Table 1
for tabulated statistics).
Discussion
As outlined previously, there was only one possible alternative for the correlation between selfacceptance and homophobia which was supported by the results of this study. Lynn and Williams (2010)
state that previous research also showed results that support this hypothesis:
Rogers also hypothesized that acceptance of self and of others should be correlated positively;
that is, a person with high self-acceptance should be more likely to be accepting of others
(Rogers, 1951). Finally, Rogers theorized that the development of self-acceptance and

CORRELATION BETWEEN SELF-ACCEPTANCE AND HOMOPHOBIA

acceptance of others leads to a more realistic, and perhaps paradoxically more positive, view of
the self and others. (p. 14)
The theory that self-acceptance is positively correlated with acceptance of others supports our
hypothesis since homophobia is, generally speaking, not accepting others because of their sexual
orientation. Other studies also found that self-acceptance and acceptance of others were positively
correlated. Lynn and Williams (2010) said that the correlations were in the range of .30-.60 across most
studies (p. 14). Self-acceptance correlates positively with measures of adjustment, well-being, satisfying
interpersonal relationships, affect regulation, and other correlates of mental health. Another wellestablished relation is the positive correlation between self-acceptance and acceptance of others (Lynn
and Williams, 2010, p. 35)
The results involving the subject variables also showed significant relationships with selfacceptance and homophobia. Sex as a variable shows that men are more homophobic than women.
Falomir-Pichastor and Mugny (2009) concluded in their study that heterosexual men show more negative
attitude towards homosexuals than do heterosexual women (p. 1233). Men would be more rejecting of
homosexuals in order to fulfil their need to affirm their masculinity by distancing themselves from those
with whom they do not want to be confused (Falomir-Pichastor and Mugny, 2009, p. 1234).Negative
experience from a homosexual also contributed to the average homophobia score in this study, with those
having no negative experience tend to be less homophobic. It was also revealed that having friends who
are homosexual lower a persons homophobia. Costa, Leal, and Pereira (2013) suggests a reason for this
relationship:
Few young LGBT individuals first disclose their sexual orientation to parents; most of them
confide in their peers and friends first (DAugelli & Hershberger, 1993; Savin-Williams, 1998), as
friends and peers are more likely to accept their sexual orientation, thus reinforcing their own selfacceptance (Goldfried & Goldfried, 2001). (p. 231)
This also supports our findings that self-acceptance is negatively correlated with homophobia
since the statement above relates higher self-acceptance with lower sexual prejudice.

CORRELATION BETWEEN SELF-ACCEPTANCE AND HOMOPHOBIA

References
Byrne Fone, R. S. (2000). Homophobia: A history. New York, NY: Picador.
Coons, W.H., & McEachern, D.L. (1967). Verbal conditioning, acceptance of self and acceptance of
others. Psychological Reports, 20, 715-722.
Costa, P. A., Leal, I., & Pereira, H. (2013). Internalized homonegativity, disclosure, and acceptance of
sexual orientation in a sample of Portuguese gay and bisexual men, and lesbian and bisexual
women. Journal of Bisexuality, 13(2), 229-244, doi:10.1080/15299716.2013.782481
Dreyer, Y. (2006). Prejudice, homophobia and the Christian faith community. Verbum Et Ecclesia JRG,
27(1), 155-173.
Falomir-Pichastor, J. M., & Mugny, G. (2009). Im not gay. Im a real man!: Heterosexual mens
gender self-esteem and sexual prejudice. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 35, 12231243. doi:10.1177/0146167209338072
Gansneder, B., Rotella, R. J., & Waite, B. T. (1990). A sport-specific measure of self-acceptance. Journal
of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 12, 264-279.
Lynn, S. J., & Williams, J. C. (2010). Acceptance: An historical and conceptual review. Imagination,
Cognition and Personality, 30(1), 5-56. doi:10.2190/IC.30.1.c
Weinstein, N. et al. (2012). Parental autonomy support and discrepancies between implicit and explicit
sexual identities: Dynamics of self-acceptance and defence. Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology, 102(4), 815832. doi:10.1037/a0026854

CORRELATION BETWEEN SELF-ACCEPTANCE AND HOMOPHOBIA

Footnotes
1

Demographic information was going to be used as subject variables but no significant findings

were found.

CORRELATION BETWEEN SELF-ACCEPTANCE AND HOMOPHOBIA

Table 1
Tabulated Statistics

Subject Variable
Self-acceptance
Sex
Male (n=50)
Female (n=50)
Homophobia
Sex
Male (n=50)
Female (n=50)
Experience
Yes (n=22)
No (n=78)
Friend
Yes (n=93)
No (n=7)

M (SD)

Std. Error
Mean

3.18 (.55)

0.078

3.49 (.58)

0.082

2.33 (.62)
1.98 (.51)

95% Confidence Interval

of the Difference
Lower
Upper

Degree
of
freedom

Sig.
(twotailed)

-0.534

-0.081

2.73

49

.0087

0.087
0.072

0.109

0.587

2.93

49

.0051

2.40 (.77)
2.09 (.51)

0.164
0.058

0.034

0.589

2.23

98

.0281

2.12 (.57)
2.58 (.69)

0.060
0.259

0.012

0.917

2.04

98

0444

Notes. Experience is from the question Had there been personal experiences of any form (e.g. abuse)
that made you feel negative towards LGBTs? Friend is from the question Do you have any friends from
the LGBT community? All findings presented above are significant.

CORRELATION BETWEEN SELF-ACCEPTANCE AND HOMOPHOBIA

10

Figure 1. The scatterplot above shows the relation between self-acceptance and homophobia, in which
high self-acceptance scores indicate lower homophobia scores