Dissertation Title:

Marriage Equality: A Depth Psychological Study of Men Marrying Men

Candidate:

Bruce Martin Strumpf

Date, Time & Place:

April 30, 2019 at 3:45 pm
Townhouse, Lambert Road campus


Abstract

While the emergence of gay marriage has been studied phenomenologically, the level of self-acceptance by gay men institutionalizing their relationships in this way has yet to be fully explored. This study continues the Jungian tradition of searching for archetypal patterns, but within the lived experiences of gay, married men—specifically, patterns in their lived experiences of love, home, and wholeness. In detecting narratives describing the range of personal growth, the study finds that marriage is the telos of a life-long journey towards a larger individuated homosexuality. In examining the narratives, the study finds motifs such as love at first sight, the importance of home as a safe space, and the significance of a shared commitment to community activism. Additionally, two specific myths provide symbolic references for the phenomena under study: Laius, father of Oedipus, may well represent the self-hating gay man whose internalized homophobia prevents him from individuating fully through marriage; Hestia, goddess of hearth and home, may symbolize the grand narrative of gay relationships in their progression from large self-sustaining gay communities, to families of choice, to legally recognized families.

Note

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Details
  • Program/Track/Year: Depth Psychology with Specialization in Jungian & Archetypal Studies, Track ZZ, 2016
  • Chair: Dr. Jonathan Young
  • Reader: Dr. Dylan Hoffman
  • External Reader: Dr. Michael Lennox
  • Keywords: Same-sex Marriage, Marriage Equality, Individuation, Homosexuality, Internalized Homophobia, Love, Narrative Inquiry, Laius, Hestia