1

OVERVIEW OF COGNITIVE DISSONANCE ON GAY IN MAKASSAR

Indry Dwiyani
(indrydwiyani@yahoo.com)
Eva Meizara Puspita Dewi
(evabasti@yahoo.com)
Muh. Nur Hidayat Nurdin
(dayat_20858@yahoo.com)

Faculty of Psychology, State University of Makassar

Jl. AP Pettarani Makassar, 90222

Abstract

Cognitive dissonance is a form of discomfort feeling by individuals due to the

mismatch between the two cognitive elements inside. Cognitive dissonance
appear in a gay because of the discomfort feeling by gay itself due to the behavior
performed. This study aims to reveal the cognitive dissonance of gay in Makassar
and the background that causes the individual to be a gay. This study uses
qualitative research with phenomenological approach involving three research
subjects. The subjects were gay who was and is in a relationship with the same
sex. Data collection techniques used in the form of in-depth interviews with the
type of open questions. Based on the results obtained can be inferred that the
background of the individual being gay is their sense of curiosity than passion or
events homosexual has ever experienced, and sparked by a comfortable feeling
when interacting with men, childhood experiences more often play with peers
female, desire to find a replacement for a father figure, a desire to live freely, and
as a form of release from the destroyed family relationships. Gay experiencing
cognitive dissonance due to a conflict between feeling comfortable in a
relationship with the same sex with the fear of rejection from family and
community as well as the confidence to start a relationship with the opposite sex
(marriage life). Overview of cognitive dissonance gay in Makassar can be a
solution to open up the public insight about gay identity without seeing
discrimination against gay or support itself.

Keyword: Cognitive Dissonance, Gay, Discomfort Feeling

Individual sexual orientation between male and female (Ahmadi,

commonly involve attachment 2007). This sexual orientation

experienced by a person is the one
that underlie intimacy. But it can not
be denied that there is tendency on
sexual orientation on same sex or
usually called homosexual.
Homosexual grow wide until 20th
century. Homosexual that known as
sexual orientation term on same sex
became taboo issue in many country
around the world, including
Indonesia.
Started from 1980s, homosexual
mobilization started to occur,
especially male gay which are one of
homosexual type. Kartono (1989)
also express that male homosexual
exictence estimated three until four
times more than female homosexual.
These male gay mobilization then
getting more push by gay
organisations existence in Indonesia
around 1990s (Oetomo & Suvianita,
2013). However, gay existence until
these day getting a lot of obstacle
from their surrounding.
Gay existence in society has
caused negative stereotypes and low
acceptance, especially in Makassar it
self. Family and society are two
important element that gave effect on
low acceptance on gay identity it
self. Oetomo and Suvianita (2013)
expressed that family take a big
impact on motivate male to be a gay,
where as acceptance from family
side is limited by strong cultural
pressure to get married
heterosexually.
Governments law also clearly
prohibited homosexual in Indonesia,
2
even Indonesia that still firmly hold
their religion's norms, where most of
their people embrace Islam, it made
Majelis Ulama Indonesia issued a
dead penalty fatwa to everyone who
do homosexualism, including gay.
Other than that, negative thought
about gay existence also widely
spread in social media.Raleydan
Lucas (2006) expressed that these
thought arrised because of limited
information that socity have on those
minority people.
When that thought arise, gay
people surely will feel
uncomfortable. However, gays can
not force their self to change their
gender identity to adapt with their
sorrounding’s demands. Gay whose
felt issues from their surrounding
surely depends on how big is their
self awareness. Gay’s self awareness
and self control to doing their sexual
activity to their same sex are two
different opposite things, and hard to
solve.
These issues then will bring out
strungle inside gay’s self in
Makassar. Strungle inside their self
in here means having a close bond
with cognitive dissonance. Cognitive
dissonance is psychological state that
potray in compability between faith,
attitude, and individual behavior
(Egan, Santos, & Bloom, 2007).
Gays in Makassar that survived but
then there was a struggle that happen
between inside desire and society’s
demands that surely will arise
cognitive dissonance in their mind.

A person whose felt cognitive
dissonance would feel inconvenience
in their mind. Those inconvenience
will getting stronger by values or
norms that people around them
professed and belief. In accordance
with Matz and Wood (2005)
expressed that social relation that
came from environment, is source of
cognitive dissonance appearance.
Gay senses fear of losing friends
and depression level along with
anxiety that higher that heterosexual
people. In accordance with Subhrajit
(2014) research which explain
impact of society that discriminate,
abuse, or even threaten gay, gay then
feel inconvenience and ended with
hiding their sexual orientation by
turning into covered individuals.
THEORETICAL BASIS
1. Homosexuality Definition
Kartono (1989) mentioning that
homosexuality is sex interaction by
same sex. As well as mentioned by
Chaplin (1997) that homosexuality is
sexual interaction by group which
came from same sex. Homosexual’s
activity that appear on male or
usually called with gay is various
(Kartono, 1989). This activity
involve various kind of action.
Homosexuality that happened on
male could happen with various way,
such as manipulatingtheir partner
genitals by insert penis into mouth
and using mouth to reach orgasm.
2. Factors that Affect
Homosexuality Emergence
3
Kartono (1989) expressed that
there are some factors that affecting
a person to become a homosexual,
those are:
a. Bad environmental factor or
considered unfavorable for
sexual maturity grow normally.
b. Hereditary factor which can be
either unstability sex hormons.
c. Past experience factor where
individual seek for satisfaction
by homosex relation as impact of
homosexual experience on their
adolescent.
d. Traumatic experience of boys by
their mother, so that hatred for
their mother and for every female
arised. This factor then brong out
homosex urge that tend to be
stayed.
B. Cognitive Dissonance
1. Cognitive Dissonance Deffinition
Wibowo (Sarwono, 2013)
expressed that cognitive dissonance
is uncomfortable states as impact of
incompability between two attitude
or more, and between attitude and
behaviour. This Incompability
appear in mind. Festinger (Metin &
Camgoz, 2011) explained that
cognitive dissonance happen if there
is opposite relation, as result of
denied or reject from one cognitive
element to another element, between
cognitive elements inside their self.
Jordens and Overwalle (2005)
expressed that cognitive dissonance
happened when individual started to
feel inconvenience on their self.

Cognitive dissonance could reduced
when individual try to interpret
behavior which did as unaccordance
behavior. When that interpreting
happen inside individual’s cognitive
element, then reducing dissonance
easily happen.
2. Cognitive Dissonance Root
Cause on Gay
Festinger (Sarwono, 2013)
expressed that cognitive dissonance
in not only arise from individual, but
also could happen as impact of
external factor outside their
self.Some factors that could be cause
cognitive dissonance appeareance
are:
a. Inconsistence logic which is think
logic that denied other thinking
logic.
b. Cultural value which is one of
cause that appear when a person is
in a different culture.
c. Common opinion is when an
opinion differ with common
opinion.
d. Past experience also could be one
of cause that can arise dissonance
when cognition inconsistence with
their past experience.
3. Cognitive Dissonance on Gay
Gay whose felt cognitive
dissonance in their self will
experience a lot of consequance.
Inaccordance with what has been
expressed by Sarwono (2013) that
gay will seek for new information to
reduce inconvenience in their self
then end up with decision making to
stay being gay or change their
4
identity. Festinger (Metin &
Camgoz, 2011) mentioned that
dissonance that happened in
individuals self can not be exclude
from decision making.
RESEARCH METHODS
Research method that researcher
did on this study is qualitative
research. Creswell (2007) stated that
qualitative research is a inquiry
process to understand and explore
social issues in people’s self. This
explanation about qualitative
research is fit with what researcher
would explore, which is cognitive
dissonance pictured that happened
within gays in Makassar.
This research used a
phenomenology approach. Creswell
(2007) expressed that qualitative
rsearch by phenomenology approach
is aiming to getting picture about
meaning of individuals experiences
about a phenomenon. As for
phenomenon that is meant is gay that
rampantly appear in Makassar at that
time.
Researcher used snowball
sampling technique which is
sampling technique with few source
at start, but by the time it flew it’s
source getting bigger (Sugiyono,
2013). Researcher at beginning got
one subject from a foundation in
Makassar, then got more subject
from first subject’s friend. Subject
criterion is gay who having or had a
same sex relationship.
 5

Length factors that can affect a person to be

Relationship a gay, which is:
Subject being a
Status
Gay a. Unfavorable environment factor.
Having same This factor was experienced by
HA sex 6 years subject on early child until
relationship adolescence. Subject whos
Having same surrounded by a lot ofgirl friends
N sex 9 years
relationship on their peer group tend to be a
Having same feminine.
A sex 5 years b. Past experience factor where a
relationship person has experienced a sexual
Data collection technique that experienced that made them feel
being used were interview and comfortable and passionate.
observation. Data validation Uncomfortable experience that a
technique were member check on person got in early adolescent
research subjects, peer de briefing when they were touched by man
with other researchers, and data for the first time made them
triangulation with subject best courious and feel a joyful sexual
friends. Sugiyono (2013) expressed passionate.
that data triangulation is verification c. Hereditary factor which could be
technique by using data checking unbalanced hormons, so that made
from various sources with various individuals traits unmatch with
ways and times. sex role that that person have.
Feminine trait that subjects
RESULT AND DISCUSSION
admitted is match with a research
This research involved three
by Michael, Peggy, Alex, dan
respondents who are gays and having
Joan (1997) in America that found
same sex relationship at that time.
gay stereotype is feminine in
This research done by asking some
many things, including their
open questions to three respondents.
attitude.
Respondents then did semiformal
2. Gay cognitive dissonance
interview for two times with
picture
researcher to reveal cognitive
Wibowo (Sarwono, 2013)
dissonance pictures that he
expressed that cognitive
experienced.
dissonance is uncomfortable state
1. Be a Gay Background
caused there is incompability
Subjects strart their same sex
between two attitude or more, and
relationship because their
between attitude and behavior.
curiousness about gay itself. Kartono
This incompability arised in
(1989) explained that there are some
individuals mind. Cognitive

dissonance happened on three
subjects who are gays for a long
time.
Reseach result on three
subjects revealed hat subjects
think that being a gay is
something common. Love feeling
surely can not be denied. Subjects
then accepted their feeling and felt
comfortable to be gays.
However, on the other side
subjects also feel scare of
rejection from society and their
sorroundings cause of their
identity as gays. Three subject
having a same sex relationship
clandestinely cause of that fear.
Subjects felt those
uncomfortability cause of the
emergence of beliefs, such as:
1. Men nature suppose to love
woman, not their same sex.
2. Beliefs about God’s forbid
loving same sex.
3. Desire to start married life
with opposite sex and staring a
family.
Subjects expressed their desire
to start married life with their
opposite sex. However opposite
thought from that appear. Subject
felt fear of heterosexual relation
that can not last longer cause they
think that they only love man, not
woman.
Other cognitive dissonance
source that happened on subjects
are cultural value and opinions.
Sarwono (2013) expressed that
common opinion is source of
6
cognitive dissonance that arise as
result of common opinion that
contradict with opinion which
individual have.
CONCLUSSION AND
SUGGESTION
Based on result which is obtained
from this research, could be
concluded that:
1. Individual reason be a gay is
caused of couriosity that arise
from passion or homosexual event
experienced. Other than that,
things that could enhance gay
behavior could be playhood
experience with opposite sex,
thought about loving same sex is
normal, desire to seek for dad
substitute, and as an impingement
from broken family and feeling of
bridled on early childhood, so that
arised desire to live freely.
2. Cognitive dissonance picture on
gay is clearly visible on
confussion that they experienced
between comfortability to having
same sex relation and fear of
rejection from family and society.
Other than that, future orientation
about married life with opposite
sex increase gay’s cognitive
dissonance level. This made gay
reduce dissonance and avoid
dissonance to make their self
comfortable.
As for suggestion that could given
are:
1. For government and social
institution suggested to do depth
riset about cognitive dissonanceon
gay which could be a seminar or
group conseling with gay in
Makassar.
 7

2. For gay’s family suggested to Matz, D.C. & Wood, W. (2005).

giving more attention and Cognitive dissonance in group:
acceptance to gay so that good the consequences of
and enough communicaton can be
disagreement. Journal of
built.
3. For next researcher suggested to Personality and Social
digging deeper about cognitive Psychology, 88(1), 22-37.
dissonance on gay and gay
process until reaching consonance Metin, I., & Camgoz, S. M. (2011).
and cognitive consistence The advances in the history of
cognitive dissonance theory.
REFERENCES
International Journal of
Humanities and Social Science,
Ahmadi, A. (2007). Psikologisosial
1(6), 131-136.
ed. Revisi. Jakarta: RinekaCipta.
Michael, B.J., Peggy, K., Alex, H., &
Chaplin, J.P. (1997). Kamus lengkap
Joan, L. (1997). Butch, femme,
psikologi. Jakarta: Rajawali Pers.
or straight acting? Partner
preferences of gay men dan
Creswell, J.W. (2007). Qualitative
lesbians. Journal of PersSoc
inquiry & research design.
Psychology, 73(5), 960-973.
London: SAGE.
Oetomo, D., &Suvianita, K. (2013).
Egan, L.C., Santos, L.R., & Bloom,
Hidup sebagai LGBT di Asia:
P. (2007). The origins of
Laporan nasional Indonesia
cognitive dissonance: evidence
(online), (http://www.asia-
from childrens and monkeys.
pacific.undp.org, diakses pada
Journal of Psychological
tanggal 2 November 2015.
Science, 8(11), 978-983.
Raley, A.B., & Lucas, J.L. (2006).
Jordens, K. & Overwalle, F.V.
Stereotype or success? Prime-
(2005). Cognitive dissonance and
time television’s portrayals of
affect an initial test of a
gay male, lesbian, and bisexual
connectionist account. Journal of
character’s. Journal of
PsychologicaBelgica, 45(3), 157-
Homosexuality, 51(2), 19-38.
184.
Sarwono, S.W. (2013). Teori-teori
Kartono, K. (1989). Psikologi
psikologi sosial. Jakarta:
abnormal dan abnormalitas
Rajagrafindo.
seksual. Bandung: MandarMaju.
 8

Sugiyono. (2013). Metode penelitian

kuantitatif kualitatif dan R & D.
Bandung: Alfabeta.

Subhrajit, C. (2014). Problem faced

by LGBT people in the
mainstream society: some
recommendations. International
Journal of Interdisciplinary and
Multidisciplinary Studies, 1(5),
317-331.