Page 55 - IJPS-9-2

International Journal of

Population Studies

RESEARCH ARTICLE
Personality traits in homosexual men with

different sex roles in Iran

Seyed Mohsen Pourmohseni Shakib , Sajjad Rezaei *, and Ashkan Naseh 2
1
2
1 Department of Psychology, University Campus at University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
2 Department of Psychology, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran

Abstract

Studies on homosexual men reveal a secondary self-label, the sex role, which can affect
many dimensions of their lives. Based on their roles in anal intercourse, homosexual
men adopt self-label or sex role as top, bottom, and versatile. Unwelcoming social
space, along with the legal and religious constraints in Islamic communities on
homosexuality has made information about their personality traits scarce. Therefore,
this study assessed the personality traits of homosexual men with different sex
roles and compared them to each other and heterosexual men. In an ex post facto
study, 197 Iranian homosexual men (30 tops, 36 bottoms, and 131 versatile) and 49
Iranian heterosexual men were included using purposive and snowball samplings
to complete a short 71-item Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-
2). The results showed top group obtaining highest mean score among the groups
for scales of validity (F) and hypochondriasis (Hs), while bottom group obtaining
highest mean scores for scales correction (K), depression (D), hysteria (Hy), paranoia
(Pa), psychasthenia (Pt), and hypomania (Ma). These results suggested that bottoms
*Corresponding author: encounter more difficulties in forming relationships and concealing their sexual
Sajjad Rezaei identity. Depression, hopelessness, and a sense of failure in attracting support and
(Rezaei_Psy@hotmail.com)
affection from others are more prominent among bottoms.
Citation: Shakib, S. M. P.,
Rezaei, S. & Naseh, A. (2023).
Personality traits in homosexual Keywords: Gender identity; Homosexuality; Islamic population; Personality traits; Sex
men with different sex roles in Iran.
International Journal of Population roles
Studies, 9(2): 49-60.
https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.0390
Received: April 3, 2023 1. Introduction
Accepted: June 7, 2023
Despite considerable scientific progress made by Iranian researchers in different areas
Published Online: July 13, 2023
of psychology, homosexuality, and its related issues continue to be considered taboo,
Copyright: © 2023 Author(s). which can be attributed to an unaccepting social atmosphere and religious and legal
This is an Open Access article
distributed under the terms of the constraints, leading to limited access to accurate and non-distorted information within
Creative Commons Attribution this Muslim country. Consequently, Iranian psychologists and psychotherapists face
License, permitting distribution, challenges in effectively treating homosexual clients and accurately diagnosing their
and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is psychological problems. On the other hand, the situation is compounded by the presence
properly cited. of biases, presumptions, and individual and social prejudices of psychotherapists. These
factors, combined with legal and religious issues, further exacerbate the difficulties of
Publisher’s Note: AccScience
Publishing remains neutral with homosexual clients seeking psychological support (Shakib, 2021).
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional Studies have shown that many homosexual men identify themselves based on
affiliations. their role during anal intercourse. This self-identification, that is, “sexual self-label”

Volume 9 Issue 2 (2023) 49 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.0390