Psychology in the Undergraduate Colleges of The Ohio State University By

Extending research on social dominance orientation (SDO), the present study compared the SDO of gay and heterosexual men. As members of a low-status group, gay men have lower SDO than heterosexual men. A positive correlation was found between general opposition to equality (OEQ), which is a component of SDO, and self-esteem (SE) for heterosexual men. Conversely, there was a negative relationship between OEQ and SE for gay men. When positively manipulating perceived group-status of gay men, the relationship between OEQ and SE reversed, so that participants of the high status manipulation showed a positive relationship between OEQ and SE similar to heterosexual men. SDO was once considered a static personality variable, but it is now shown that SDO varies based on the perception of an in-group‘s social position. 2 Bower SDO and Gay Men Social dominance orientation (SDO) is an individual-difference variable that predicts social and political attitudes. Social dominance orientation is a measure of a