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Discusses the personal and environmental factors in the career decision making of lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals. Skills and interests; Barriers in the environment; Nontraditional career interests.

Over the last 20 years there has been a marked increase in the number of published journal articles and books in the field of lesbian and gay psychology and psychotherapy. Much of this work has focused upon the negative effect of living as a lesbian, gay or bisexual adult in a heterosexual world. Despite our increased awareness concerning the problems lesbians, gay men and bisexuals face in society, little is understood about the process of development from the realization of sexual orientation through to identity formation and self-actualization. This article draws together various strands of research on lesbian, gay and bisexual development and addresses some of the theoretical and conceptual issues which surround this area of psychology. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A human sciences, multilevel, hermeneutic approach was employed to study intensively the relevant life experiences of a 21-year-old male expert consultant who had tested positive for the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) virus but who was asymptomatic. The study is presented both as a methodological example of this type of research and as a contribution to understanding an important personal and social issue. Under supervision, the initiating investigator collected anamnestic, behavioral, and projective data, as well as dream reports and spontaneously produced artistic material from the expert consultant. A narrative was produced to describe the study, and the data were integrated in terms of five themes: feeling infected and infectious; facing death and dying; ambivalence; uncertainty; and secrecy. Special features of this method of research are discussed, as is its relevance to the needs and interests of professionals who work with this population. Counselors would do well to recognize that the AIDS epidemic is well into its third wave. Initially, AIDS seemed to occur almost exclusively in the homosexual and bisexual male population. Then it infiltrated the community of intravenous drug users, and now it is spreading into the heterosexual population, particularly among black and Hispanic women.

The purpose of this study was to test the applicability of the theory of reasoned action as a basis for understanding and predicting gay men's intentions to perform AIDS-related sexual behaviors. A total of 314 self-identified gay or bisexual men from Seattle, Denver, and Albany participated in the study. They were asked to indicate their intentions to perform 15 specific sexual behaviors chosen to represent different degrees of risk of contracting AIDS or other sexually transmitted diseases. In addition, they were asked to respond to items measuring the attitudinal and normative considerations regarding each behavior. As expected, the results showed that the gay men's intentions were significantly predicted by the two factors. More interesting, it was found that, although attitudes are consistently the more important determinants of intentions for all the respondents, the importance of normative considerations varies across cities. This difference in normative considerations is interpreted in light of the differences in the structure of the three gay communities. Implications for designing sample-specific intervention programs are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ten human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) infected homosexual or bisexual individuals (ages 24-45) with no history of opportunistic infection were examined, by culture, for the presence of yeasts in whole saliva and on oral mucosa. All were HIV-1 antibody-positive men, non-smokers, non-denture wearers, and taking no medication. The mean salivary level of yeast was four logs higher in the HIV-1 infected group compared to a control group of normal, unmedicated, non-smoking men (ages 20-41) who denied any risk behavior for HIV-1 infection. Identification of the yeast in these HIV-1 positive individuals established that Candida albicans was the predominant species found in whole saliva and on buccal mucosa and tongue. Distinct hyphae were observed with only one mucosal sample. No significant correlation was found between whole saliva yeast concentration and the T4/T8 lymphocyte ratios or absolute number of T4 cells. No correlation was observed between oral yeast concentration and anti-C. albicans IgA titers. The high level of oral yeast in these individuals prior to the development of opportunistic infections is consistent with the suggestion that oral defense mechanisms are compromised in individuals following HIV-1 infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]