The Motives of Gay Men for Taking or Not Taking the HIV Antibody Test* KAROLYNN SIEGEL

This paper analyzes the motives for taking or not taking the HIV antibody test among a sample of 120 gay men. The motives were forged from prevailing cultural constructions of the HIV test. The most commonly cited motives for taking the test were: to take medical treatments for HIV infection, to become motivated to make needed health and lifestyle changes, to clarify an ambiguous medical condition, to inform sexual decision making, and to relieve psychological distress associated with not knowing HIV status. The most frequently reported motives for not taking the test were: to avoid the adverse psychological impact of a positive test result, to avoid social discrim-ination and repressive governmental actions, to avoid an ambiguous or unreliable test result, and to avoid having to make undesired lifestyle changes. The present paper explores the motives given by gay men for taking or not taking the HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) antibody test. Following Mills (1940), we conceptual-ize these motives as reasons, explanations, or justifications for taking or not taking the test. Moreover, we also conceptualize HIV antibody testing as problematic behavior, mainly be-cause of the momentous psychological and social risks and benefits associated with testing. As one noted chronicler of the AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) epidemic put it. To test or not to test clearly would become the most important personal decision most gay me