Happy, mature, and gay: Intimacy, power, and difficult times in coming out stories

One hundred and seven gay men and lesbians wrote their coming out stories and completed measures of subjective well-being (SWB), meaning in life, and ego development (ED). Coming out stories were content analyzed for difficult times, intimacy, and power motive imagery. SWB and ED were both associated with telling stories rich in intimacy imagery. For lesbians only, difficult times were associated with heightened ED, while for gay men incorporating difficulties into one's coming out story was negatively related to ED. Results are interpreted as suggesting the role of positive social relationships, and the capacity to incorporate these into one's life story as an important aspect of maturity. Intimacy motivation in autobiographical memories may indicate growth and positive functioning through difficult life transitions.