Monosexism and bisexual identity disclosure in the online dating environment

This thesis examines the role of internalised monosexism on the formation of positive bisexual identification and subsequent disclosure decisions. While much of the research on sexual identity has focused on disclosure outcomes, little research has focused on this in relation to bisexual identity, particularly in the context of online relationship formation. This thesis applies social identity theory to bisexual identity to produce a model that predicts the disclosure of bisexual status to potential romantic partners on Tinder and more generally. The model is tested by means of an experimental design (n = 107), in which participants in the experimental condition (n = 51) are asked to challenge monosexist ideology as a method of social change to see its effect on internalised monosexism, bisexual identity, and subsequent disclosure decisions. Results demonstrate that, while the experimental manipulation was unsuccessful, internalised monosexism was present at low levels in the sample and was a significant predictor of positive bisexual identity and disclosure. These results also point to the importance of distinguishing negative from positive aspects of bisexual identity, as the relationship between internalised monosexism and disclosure was more strongly mediated by negative identity than it was positive identity. This thesis concludes with a discussion of the limitations of the study in relation to the unsuccessful manipulation of internalised monosexism, the use of social identity theory for explaining bisexual identity and identity-related outcomes, and also argues that future research may seek to identify other methods for bisexual people to achieve positive identification in the form of collective action