Navigation of self-conflict and role of self-acceptance within LGBTQ+ young people in contemporary Mongolia

Self-concept refers to how people perceive themselves, and helps them to answer the basic question of “Who am I?” by coordinating reality and providing the response “I am me” (Oyserman, 2001). Developing nuanced understandings about one’s own self-concept is essential to the process of developing identity, including knowing, discovering, creating, improving, and expressing one’s self, as well as taking control of one’s self, being happy with one’s self and/or ashamed of one’s self (Oyserman, 2001). Self-concept is particularly important for young people, as they form their identities throughout adolescence and early adulthood. For example, distorted self-concept is strongly correlated with poor mental health outcomes among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) youth in particular (Hossain & Ferreira, 2019). The entrenched gender binary and traditional social, gender, and sexual norms in many societies have critical impacts on youth development and identity formation, and shape how LGBTQ+ youth come to understand what their sexual orientations and gender identities mean to them (Rotheram-Borus et al., 1995, Ruvio and Belk, 2013). Positive self-concept among LGBTQ+ youth is vital to develop and maintain good mental, physical and social well-being; however, it can be difficult to develop in societies where LGBTQ+ youth experience social disconnection, discrimination, and ostracization from families and peers.