Psychological Analysis of the "Clown" Role in Same-Sex Intimate Relationships: A Clinical Interpretation Based on Chat Records

In marginalized intimate relationships, asymmetric power dynamics often drive vulnerable individuals to adopt maladaptive coping strategies. Here we identify and characterize a distinct relational role—informally labeled the ‘clown’—in which individuals mask emotional pain, repress authentic needs, and perform self‑deprecating humor to maintain attachment in exploitative relationships. Using qualitative discourse analysis and clinical psychological interpretation, we examined chat records and behavioral events from a self‑identified ‘clown’ individual (A) in a one‑sided same‑sex relationship. Our analysis reveals a rigid cycle: humorous overture → rejection → affective disavowal, in which humor functions as a low-risk emotional entry, and phrases such as “I’m fine” serve as rapid defensive self-silencing. The partner (B) employed daily breakup threats, ambiguous commitment, and symbolic social media disavowal (avatar change) as forms of chronic emotional abuse and intermittent reinforcement, leading to learned helplessness in A. The ‘clown’ persona represents a trauma-adaptive defensive strategy characterized by humorization, affective suppression, passive attachment, and externalized self-worth. This role arises from the convergence of insecure attachment, relational power imbalance, and the unique sociorelational context of sexual minority groups. Our findings illuminate understudied micro-relational trauma in same-sex partnerships and provide clinically actionable insights for counseling and community support.