The factor structure, reliability, and validity of a 49-item scale designed to measure Stockholm Syndrome (also referred to as “traumatic bonding” and “terror bonding”), that is, bonding with an abusive partner, were assessed for college women in heterosexual dating relationships. Factor analysis identified three major factors: Core Stockholm Syndrome, characterized by cognitive distortions and other strategies for coping with abuse; Psychological Damage, marked by depression, low self-esteem, and loss of sense of self; and Love-Dependence, typified by the feeling that one cannot survive without one’s partner’s love. The scale and factors had excellent internal consistency and good test-retest reliabilities. They correlated negatively with the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability scale and positively with Horowitz, Wilner, & Alvarez’ (1979) Impact of Event Scale, Hyler and Rieder’s (1987) Borderline Personality Disorder Scale, Hatfield and Sprecher’s (1986) Passionate Love Scale, and Straus’ (1979) Verbal Aggression and Violence scales of the Conflict Tactics Scales.

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The 1973 and 1975 decisions of the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association (APA), respectively, to remove "homosexuality" ' from their list of mental disorders led to a need for therapists to change their therapeutic strategies in counseling lesbians and gay men. A survey of present-day therapists ' attitudes, knowledge, concerns, and strategies in counseling lesbians and gay men clients revealed a strong need for therapist training. The authors recommend that training in counseling lesbian/gay clients become a standard feature of APA-accredited training programs in clinical psychology, that competence in counseling lesbian/gay clients become a prerequisite for state licensure, and that the availability of continuing education regarding therapy for lesbian/gay clients continue for practicing clinical psychologists.Some readers will consider that this article expounds a political position rather.than addresses clinical concerns of therapists working with lesbian and gay clients. It is our position, however, that one cannot, as one anonymous reviewer from this journal proposed, "separate the purpose of clinical interventions from political lesbian/gay affirmative perspective." The prescribed treatment of clients by the mental health profession always embodies a political ideology (Rawlings & Carter, 1977).With the 1973 and 1975 votes of the American Psychiatric and the American Psychological Associations, respectively, the therapeutic strategies of counselors were supposed to reflect a change from viewing "homosexuality" as a mental illness to viewing it as an alternative life-style. The statement adopted by the American Psychological Association read as follows:The American Psychological Association supports the action taken on December 15,1973, by the American Psychiatric Association, removing homosexuality from that Association's official list of mental disorders. The American Psychological Association therefore adopts the following resolution:Homosexuality, per se, implies no impairment in judgment, stability, reliability, or general social or vocational capabilities: Further, the American Psychological Association urges all mental health professionals to take the lead in removing the stigma of mental illness that has long been associated with homosexual orientations. (Conger, 1975, p. 633) 1 Throughout this article the authors have deliberately used the terms lesbian and gay, whereas they have put the term homosexual in quotes because of the stigma associated with this word (cf. Morin, 1977).

The court has repeatedly ruled that a mother will lose custody of and visitation privileges with her children if she expresses her lesbianism through involvement or cohabitation with a female partner, being affiliated with a lesbian community, or disclosing her lesbianism to her children. Associations between expressions of lesbianism for 25 self-identified lesbian mothers and psychological health as measured by three scales on the California Psychological Inventory and by the Affectometer were therefore examined. Psychological health correlated positively with openness to employer, ex-husband, children, and a lesbian community, and with amount of feminist activism. There was no correlation between psychological health and openness to parents, possibly because of parental rejection.

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