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Ex-Gays?: A Longitudinal Study of Religiously Mediated Change in Sexual Orientation
 
 
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Ex-Gays?: A Longitudinal Study of Religiously Mediated Change in Sexual Orientation [Paperback]

Stanton L. Jones (Author), Mark A. Yarhouse (Author)
3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

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Book Description

August 24, 2007
Is it possible to be an ex gay? Stanton L. Jones and Mark A. Yarhouse present social science research on homosexuality designed to answer the questions:
  • Can those who receive religiously-informed psychotherapy experience a change in their sexual orientation?
  • Are such programs harmful to participants?
The results show that outcomes for this kind of religiously-informed psychotherapy are similar to outcomes of therapy for other psychological problems. Such programs do not appear to be harmful on average to individuals. This research will be of interest to all those who want to know the latest research on sexual orientation change and the effects of religiously-informeded programs on those who utilize them.

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Ex-Gays?: A Longitudinal Study of Religiously Mediated Change in Sexual Orientation + Homosexuality and the Christian: A Guide for Parents, Pastors, and Friends + Homosexuality: The Use of Scientific Research in the Church's Moral Debate
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Congratulations on your book. It is well and thoughtfully done, and the meticulous adherence to your experimental design gives added weight to your findings. Your carefully executed research demands a substantial and credible reexamination of current, politically driven, politically correct dogma that homosexual orientation is immutable and that the therapeutic address thereof threatens patient well-being. In a best-case scenario, your research might even pursuade the organized mental health movement to return to almost forgotten principles that it is the patient’s right to choose, and that the patient has the capacity to do so." Rogers H. Wright, Ph.D., Fellow and Past President of Divisions 12 and 31 of the American Psychological Association; Founding President, Council for the Advancement of the Psychological Professions and Sciences; Diplomate in Clinical Psychology, American Board of Professional Psychology (*** )

"Psychologists have long championed and cared for the 'other' of our society--the weird, the abnormal, the minority and the less powerful. Although this book may at first appear to attack the other--in this case, those who consider themselves gay--this book is the other of psychological research. This book addresses ideas that are other than the ideas of psychology's power centers and power brokers. It addresses questions about homosexuality that are not asked by the mainstream and the majority of our discipline. Yet, like most any 'other,' it deserves a hearing, whether or not we agree with it. It especially deserves a hearing because it follows the principles of those who deserve hearings in psychology--careful scholarship and empirical rigor." (Brent D. Slife, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist and Professor of Psychology, Brigham Young University )

"This study is a groundbreaking classic--scientifically erudite and clearly presented. It shares irrefutable data gained over time that serve to explode arguments based on ideology and anecdotes. Its irenic and thoughtful discussion invites an open forum where scientific evidence and rational thinking are allowed to dominate discussion of the subject." (Merton P. Strommen, Ph.D., Founder of Search Institute and Fellow in the American Psychological Association )

"Can some motivated people alter aspects of their sexuality through religious ministry? With the publication of Ex-Gays? Stanton Jones and Mark Yarhouse have produced the most rigorous study to date to address this question. Knowing their results would generate controversy, the authors have thoroughly described the rationale for their procedures. While the authors fully acknowledge that change in sexual attractions did not occur for some individuals, they offer cogent and compelling reasons to believe that participation in religious ministry resulted in durable changes for others. The Jones and Yarhouse study will set the standard for all future work in this field and demands a serious reading from social scientists. For anyone interested in the study of sexuality, values and human change, this book is a must-read." (Warren Throckmorton, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology and Fellow for Psychology and Public Policy, Grove City College, coauthor of the Sexual Identity Therapy Framework, and producer of I Do Exist )

"Research in the controversial area of homosexuality is fraught with ideology and plagued by a dearth of science. This study has broken new ground in its adherence to objectivity and a scientific precision that can be replicated and expanded, and it opens new horizons for investigation. It is the kind of scientific research I had in mind when in the mid-1970s I introduced my successful resolution in the APA Council of Representatives that homosexuality is not a disease, but a complex constellation of factors that requires scientific investigation to further our understanding of its etiology, its many parameters and its subjectivity to change. I have waited over thirty years for this refreshing, penetrating study of an imperative, though controversial, human condition. This book is must-reading for psychotherapists and counselors, as well as academic psychologists studying human behavior and sexuality." (Nicholas A. Cummings, Ph.D., SC.D., Former President, American Psychological Association; Distinguished Professor, University of Nevada, Reno; President, Cummings Foundation for Behavioral Health )

"Professors Jones and Yarhouse provide a well-designed, conceptually and philosophically sophisticated longitudinal study of intervention efforts aimed at changing homosexual orientation. Their data address the question, Is such change possible? They also cogently address related controversial questions such as the ethical issues involved. They embody all the characteristics of first-rate scholarship (for example, they modestly note the methodological limitations of their study). However, this is a groundbreaking study that will hopefully be judged by the normal standards of scholarship rather than be prejudged by its religious element or its tentative positive results." (William O'Donohue, Ph.D., Nicholas Cummings Professor of Organized Behavioral Healthcare Delivery, University of Nevada, Reno )

"With this landmark study, Drs. Jones and Yarhouse have made a major contribution to a controversial area. The findings from their study support the importance of client autonomy and client self-determination as therapists provide a range of options to those who seek help for unwanted same-sex attraction. The book is required reading for those interested in the best practices and evidence-based care for this clinical population." (Dr. A. Dean Byrd, Ph.D., University of Utah School of Medicine )

Product Details

  • Paperback: 414 pages
  • Publisher: IVP Academic (August 24, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 083082846X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0830828463
  • Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #147,700 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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Average Customer Review
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59 of 77 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting raw data, flawed interpretations, October 13, 2008
By 
Michael R. Airhart "nomanisan" (Providence, RI, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   
Detailed, five-year surveys of the ex-gay movement are much needed and long overdue, and so the raw data collected by Stanton Jones and Mark Yarhouse are a welcome addition to available research. (For related research, search for books about ex-gay research by Ariel Shidlo or Jack Drescher.)

The conclusions based upon the Jones/Yarhouse data, unfortunately, appear biased: Both Jones and Yarhouse work at conservative Christian universities, and compromises in study design and execution were made in order to secure the cooperation of ex-gay members of Exodus International, an organization that claims to support people leaving homosexuality. This book quickly secured endorsements from ex-gay and antigay therapists, but support from mainstream mental-health professionals has thus far been lacking.

Watchdog web sites including Box Turtle Bulletin, Truth Wins Out and Ex-Gay Watch have found the following shortcomings, which I hope are addressed in future studies:

-- The study was conducted by two supporters of ex-gay ministries.

-- They originally sought 300 participants, but after more than a year of seeking to round up volunteers, they had to settle on only 98 participants.

-- During the course of the study, 25 dropped out, and one participant's answers were too incomplete to be used.

-- Of the remaining 72 only 11 reported "satisfactory, if not uncomplicated, heterosexual adjustment." (direct quote). Some of these 11 remained primarily homosexual in attraction or, at best, bisexual, but were satisfied that they were just slightly more attracted to the opposite sex, or slightly less attracted to the same sex.

-- After the study ended, but before the book was finished, one of the 11 wrote to the authors to say that he lied -- he really wanted to change, had really hoped he had changed, and answered that he had changed. But he concluded that he hadn't, came out, and is now living as an openly gay man.

-- Dozens of participants experienced no lessening of same-sex attraction and no increase in opposite-sex attraction, but were classified as "success" stories by Jones and Yarhouse simply because they maintained celibacy -- something many conservative gay people already do.

-- The study purposely declined to interview any ex-gay survivors: people who claim to have been injured by ex-gay programs and who have formed support groups such as Beyond Ex-Gay. Despite -- or because of -- this omission, the authors of this study make the unfounded claim that there is little or no evidence of harm resulting from unproven, unsupervised, unlicensed, and amateur ex-gay counseling tactics.

In short, the study design was so flawed that no mainstream, peer-reviewed, mental-health journal would publish it.

The raw data obtained from Jones' and Yarhouse's surveys will hopefully lead to greater understanding in future studies, despite these researchers' strained efforts to make failure to "change" sound like success.
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76 of 112 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Best scientific study available on sexual re-orientation, September 17, 2007
This review is from: Ex-Gays?: A Longitudinal Study of Religiously Mediated Change in Sexual Orientation (Paperback)
This is clearly the best scientific study yet conducted on change of homosexual orientation and on the question as to whether attempts at such change are inherently harmful. My academic peer review found this investigation to be the most rigorous, well-designed empirical study to date on these questions. This study meets the high research standards set by the American Psychological Association that individuals be validly assessed, followed, and reported over time with a prospective, longitudinal outcome research design.

Using well-accepted, standard psychological measures, Jones and Yarhouse found solid evidence that homosexual orientation can be significantly changed. And their careful scientific search found no evidence that spiritual or psychological harm directly results from attempting such change. Because so many secular psychologists and psychiatrists mistakenly assumed the opposite of these clear scientific findings, this groundbreaking scientific study sets a new landmark in the field of therapeutic change for unwanted homosexual orientation.

Given the practical constraints facing any scientist for these research questions Jones and Yarhouse employed a prospective and longitudinal research design that measures up to widely-accepted professional standards. This study's authors are cautious, basing their conclusions only on systematically gathered and appropriately analyzed scientific data. Jones and Yarhouse assessed individuals who met fairly rigorous standards of "homosexualness," using every established measure of sexual orientation that has empirical support in past scientific research as well standard psychological measures of distress and spirituality that are among the best currently available.

This study demonstrates with convincing scientific evidence that the Christian ministry interventions of Exodus International produced strong and clinically meaningful changes in homosexual orientation in a large percentage of individuals. Furthermore this careful clinical research investigation of a significant number of individuals yielded no evidence to support the common assumption that attempts to change sexual orientation causes harm or psychological distress.

--George A. Rekers, Ph.D., FAACP
Distinguished Professor of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Science Emeritus
University of South Carolina School of Medicine

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9 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, May 30, 2009
This review is from: Ex-Gays?: A Longitudinal Study of Religiously Mediated Change in Sexual Orientation (Paperback)
This is an excellent book on a topic that needs such research. It's good to see that there is hope for someone struggling with homosexuality and who desires to come out of that lifestyle.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
severe emotional distress symptoms, most important overall score, giving anal sex, data for both assessments, sexual orientation change, reporting negative outcomes, outpatient norms, incidental heterosexual, measuring sexual orientation, clear valence, forced sexual experience, nonpatient norms, receiving anal sex, childhood sexual contact, mosexual orientation, incidental homosexual, orientation ratings, homosexual arousal, sexual brokenness, largely homosexual, reorientation therapy, faith maturity, male interviewees, effect size range, receiving oral sex
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Truly Gay, Can Sexual Orientation Change, Whole Population, Klein Sexual Orientation Grid, Change Harmful, Heterosex Time, Homosex Time, The Controversy, Understanding the Population, Exodus International, Scores Time, American Psychological Association, Mean Mean Mean, Jesus Christ, Mean Time, Expanded Time, Faith Maturity Scale, Mean Mean Diff, Comparisons Comparisons, Positive Symptom Total, Continuing Population, Influence of Exodus, Spiritual Well-Being Scale, Old Testament, Protestant Christian
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