The Role of Identity Integration in Hedonic Adaptation to a Beneficial Life Change: The Example of “Coming Out” for Lesbians and Gay Men

ABSTRACT

After apparently beneficial life changes, people are expected to experience elevated well-being. However, research suggests that some individuals adapt quickly to change, so their well-being increases little in the long-term. We propose this phenomenon is explained by the integration of the changes into identity, in interaction with perceived valence of the changes. We hypothesized that higher integration would be associated with smaller increases in well-being for changes perceived as positive. For changes perceived as negative, higher integration would be associated with larger increases in well-being. Lesbians and gay men (N = 80) completed a questionnaire on well-being, perceived valence of coming out and its integration into identity. Moderated regressions supported the hypotheses, revealing the importance of considering identity integration and perceived valence in research on adaptation to changes. The results question the merits of interventions promoting identity integration.

Keywords:

• coming out
• hedonic adaptation
• identity integration
• lesbians and gay men
• life change

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by a grant to the second author from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

Notes on contributors

Simon Coulombe

Simon Coulombe was a student at Université de Montréal at the time this research was conducted, and he is currently a PhD candidate at the Department of Psychology of the Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada. He is interested in the promotion of the well-being of people facing health challenges and from marginalized populations.

Roxane de la Sablonnière

Roxane de la Sablonnière is an Associate Professor in Psychology at the Université de Montréal, Canada, and her theorizing involves reconceptualizing relative deprivation theory and understanding the processes associated with the integration of new identities into the self-concept. Her research focuses on the challenges people confront when they face dramatic social change, such as Aboriginal people in Canada, and different groups in Mongolia, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, and South Africa.