The concept of sexuality is very complex; however, society often looks at it in a very simplistic way. For centuries homosexuality has been a taboo topic, especially because of the lack of information on it. Society has expressed that homosexuality was unnatural and in the mid-1900s the DSM categorized homosexuals as having a psychological condition. The DSM, an abbreviation for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, regarding homosexuality, has attracted controversy and criticism over the years and people who belong to the LGB community have been ridiculed against for something that doesn’t fully relate to them. Homosexuality is not a psychological condition; with research disproving this prior theory, many actions have been …show more content…
They believe that homosexuals have abnormal desires as a result from early childhood trauma (Cameron, 1997). This idea has been around predating the nineteenth century; same-sex sexual activity (specifically between men) has been, and still in some cultures today, referred to as "unnatural acts” (The History of Psychiatry & Homosexuality, n.d.). The only source of psychological justification for labeling homosexuality as a mental illness is the analytic theory. The analytic theory, also known as analytic psychology, was a foundational approach to the study of the human mind. This theory was created by a man named Carl Jung, who was a Swiss psychiatrist (Mitchell, n.d.). Analysts connected homosexuality with many severe mental illnesses including schizophrenia, obsessional disorders and severe character pathologies. These disorders, however, are not present in all homosexuals, just like mental disorders are not present in all heterosexuals (Lewes, 1995; Bieber, 1962). An analogy for this could be going to a Volkswagen dealership, observe that all the cars on the lot are Volkswagens, and then conclude that all cars are Volkswagens. Although the analytic theory is the only one with vindication on the matter, there is very little support found in objective scientific investigations on many components of this theory (Jensen, 1996). Over-generalizations can be extremely misleading and are not fair towards the people who are being victimized. Psychoanalytic studies on homosexuality, which pre-date the 1950’s, used patients who needed treatment for a wide range of symptoms or who were brought to treatment prisons or mental hospitals (Jensen, 1996). This research is extremely biased and does not represent the general population of homosexuals. For this reason, the results gathered from these experiments are not valid and do not support the claim
Liam Delaney Mr. Musgrove Senior comp Lit 16 February 2023 LGBTQ+ Mental Health: An Overview of Current Research and Implications for Practice LGBTQ+ individuals are a diverse group of people who face various mental health challenges due to the stigma and discrimination they experience. Despite progress toward greater acceptance and inclusion in recent years, many LGBTQ+ individuals continue to face discrimination, harassment, and violence, which can negatively impact their mental health. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of current research on LGBTQ+ mental health, highlighting key findings and implications for practice. Studies consistently show that LGBTQ+ individuals experience higher rates of mental health problems than their
Although there is no evidence to support this hypothesis it even influenced UK Legislation from 1988 until 2003 , banning state schools from teaching children about homosexuality. This legislation was brought into act when homosexuality was against many social norms due to the increase in the HIV/AIDS virus, this legislation was therefore seen as an attack on the LGBT community. Freud's psychoanalytic theory also attempted to explain homosexuality Freud believed that the root of all behaviours were due to our unconscious minds therefore homosexuality can be due to negative childhood experiences such as a negative relationships these experiences are then repressed in our unconscious mind. Freud stated these male homosexuality could be caused due to a father being distant from his son or closeness to a mother. Overall, psychoanalytic theory suggests that our behaviour is influenced by two motivations that ultimately create conflict within an individual the “Thanatos” creates aggression, sadism and our fear or death,
When asking 10 different psychiatrists who were members of the APA during the time of redefinition about what percentage of the APA believed homosexuality was a pathology, almost all responded over ninety percent. John Fryer, shockingly answered “...99. Even the ones of us who were gay.” A deeply saddening statement, Fryer reveals the sinister depths of homophobia in the APA. For fear of their livelihoods, many gay psychiatrists lived a dual world, only to converge during the GAYPA meetings.
The 1920s were changing times and with people becoming more open about who they were, the idea of homosexuality began to become more widespread. However, that did not mean that homosexuality was in any way accepted by society. Doctors and psychologists believed that there was something wrong with people who identified as homosexual and there was a way to “fix” them. The doctors underwent studies attempting to classify and categorize these people based on their human behavior. Havelock Ellis was a physician and psychologist who discussed a phenomenon known as “sexual inversion.”
The Nazis tried to cure homosexuality by conducting medical experiments on some gay concentration camp inmates (“Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals”). The personnels in charge of work detail usually gave the homosexuals deadly
A concept that is well exemplified in therapeutic discourse, Tilly brings up another valid point. For example, at one point in time, homosexuality was labeled a mental disorder and people displaying these behaviors were sent to an asylum, banished from society (in attempt to stop the behavior). These political biases are definitely something we have to be wary of when conducting research. 8. Illegitimate vs. Legitimate
Prejudice has been a common problem in our society for many years, and continues to be an issue to this day. It can be shown in all levels and to every extreme. It can be something as little as a group of high school students excluding somebody from their lunch table because they look different, to the full blown prejudice against African-Americans that our country experienced in the past. Nowadays, even though prejudice against skin color is still an issue, another added factor includes the population that prefers homosexual relationships, showing that prejudice changes with the times and always exists. Prejudice has been known to have deteriorating effects on the victim, making them feel alone or even hateful towards their tormentors.
Introduction Sexual conversion therapy is defined as “a process through which reparative therapists believe they can and should make heterosexuals out of homosexuals” by Chuck Bright, award winning psychology author. He goes on to explain that this practice originates from the belief that homosexuality is sinful and immoral, which comes from traditional religious beliefs (Bright 472). Gregory M. Herek, professor of psychology at the University of California, notes in his article that the term homosexuality was first brought up in the early 1900s to define a mental illness. In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, and the APA called for psychologists to work to remove the stigma historically associated with homosexuality (693). This explains how there is a long history of negative connotations surrounding homosexuality socially, and it was not until recent years when there were movements made to change this.
He explains his own history of breaking through his structured shell and learning to grow into his identity. Logic and ethical reasoning depict the usefulness of homosexuals in society and the morality of harming youth by forcing them to hide in order to please a public. Sullivan argues that while conservative opponents are right where homosexuals can't reproduce, they can take on the responsibilities of nurturing children. Giving support to heterosexual parents and help raise a new generation. Andrew Sullivan combines age old arguments about homosexuality with ethical, logical, and emotional insights into the world of gay youth, and the gifts that they could give our
Many treatments and therapies were being created and used to try and cure homosexuality. Although
Joey Cho Mrs. Middleton English 10 17 October 2016 Persuasive Research Essay Outline Introduction LGBT/ same-sex marriage is one of the most heated and controversial debates in our current society. Unlike the past thousands of years whereas marriage was defined as a legal union between a man and a woman, now the concept of marriage has been extended to a broader context. “Homosexuality” in most cultures is viewed as a disgrace, and it is often considered as a great sin from a religious aspect.
Substitute the word “gay” in any of those cases, and the terms suddenly become far less loaded, so that the ring of disapproval and judgment evaporates. Some gay rights advocates have declared the term off limits. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance against slander, or Glad, has put “homosexual” on its list of offensive terms and in 2006 persuaded The Associated Press, whose stylebook is the widely used by many news organizations, to restrict use of the word. Miss Suhashini a, lecturer of Phycology Department at UTAR who was currently doing research about LGBT has looked at the way the term is used by those who try to portray gays and lesbians as deviant. What is most telling about substituting it for gay or lesbian are the images that homosexual tends to activate in the brain, she said.
Homosexuality as a pathology In the 18th century arose to explain the idea of homosexual inclinations as a kind of natural anomaly, a disease (this concept was a special case of Lombroso’s theory: a person is born as a criminal). With the development in the 19th century of clinical psychopathology and psychiatry, homosexuality was understood as a mental disorder. Finally, in the 20th century, the concept of homosexuality as a disease was developed in Hitler's Germany as an understanding of homosexuality as an irremovable genetic defect, the natural inferiority of the individual. Unlike all previous ways of conceptualizing homosexuality, the biomedical approach to it does not focus on certain concrete actions or behaviours of the subject, but
Critiques of Freud’s psychosexual theory of development The biggest criticism of Freud’s theory is that it is too much focused on human sexuality. Many psychologists say that when Freud create this theory, he mainly collected information about his adult patients not through observations or study of children. Instead of conducting empirical researches he based this theory upon case studies. Additionally, Feminists believe that it is excessively dependent upon male perspectives and very rarely Freud has related and communicated the female desires.
3.) Is the focus on sexuality a convincing theory or not? In summary of my knowledge gained during the essay, I will not attempt to discredit any of Freud’s research nor his work contributed to psychology. His work has been criticized by many respected psychologists and theorists, especially that related to his theories on sexuality and neuroses in adults.