Professional paper
https://doi.org/10.24869/psihei.2026.28
PSYCHOANALYTIC AND GROUP-ANALYTIC APPROACHES TO SAME-SEX SEXUAL ORIENTATIONS AND GENDER DIVERSITY
Una Bauer
orcid.org/0000-0002-0404-8189
; Department of Dramaturgy, Academy of Dramatic Art, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
*
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
This paper analyses same-sex sexual orientations and gender diversity within a psychoanalytic and group-analytic framework, starting from the premise that sexual orientation is simultaneously a stable, processual, and relational configuration of desire and identity. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of gender as an important, though not the only, dimension, demonstrating how sexual and gender positions within the group are activated and transformed through the group field, transference dynamics, and affective economies. The paper then traces the history of the pathologisation of homosexuality and describes the shift toward relational and intersubjective approaches that treat same-sex orientation as a non-pathological variation. In the section on transgender experience, ethical and clinical
principles of an affirmative approach are emphasised (respect for pronouns, non-imposition of outcomes), while maintaining openness to complex intrapsychic conflicts. In conclusion, the paper advocates for a more flexible, non-pathologizing group-analytic practice oriented toward authenticity, integration, and a critical examination of normative assumptions about sex, gender, and sexuality.
Keywords
same-sex orientation; gender diversity; group analysis; intersubjectivity; transgender experience non-pathologizing approach
Hrčak ID:
348203
URI
Publication date:
11.6.2026.
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