Representações Sociais do Homossexualismo e Preconceito contra Homossexuais

Abstract

This dissertation analyses the influence of the social representations about homosexuality on prejudice of theology students toward homosexuals. Male and Female theology students (n = 374) from Goiânia (Goiás) answered a questionnaire about positive, negative emotions and rejection feelings towards homosexuals, and social representations about homosexuality. The results provided a classification of the students´ position using the blatant versus subtle paradigm proposed by Pettigrew and Meertens (1995). Social representations about homosexuality were organized in five kinds of explanations for the homosexuality: biological, psychological, ethicmoral, religious and psychosocial and these were the main predictors of the blatant and subtle prejudice. The subtle prejudice group was formed by older, catholic, female students with more time in the theological seminars. This group thought of homosexuality using psychosocial and biological explanations. The blatant prejudice group was formed by younger evangelic students with more time in theological seminars. They used ethic-moral and religious explanations for the homosexuality. The results suggested that social representations about homosexuality work as a normative and justifying system that allows students to discriminate and to express hostile attitudes towards homosexuals without threatening the perception that they are acting in favor of homosexuals´ welfare because they theology students are obeying God s will.