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Essays on the history of psychology
Essays on the history of psychology
Freud and Oedipus complex in hamlet
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For many years, psychologists described homosexuality as a disorder or a treatable complex. Recently, homosexuality was removed from the DSM and is no longer considered a disorder. The gay population is no longer treated as sick but accepted as a diverse set of individuals. The many distinguishing attributes and characteristics of a gay or lesbian individual are considered to be personality attributes. Many psychologists have analyzed homosexual individuals throughout the history of psychology and attempted to explain their behavior. Freud considered a homosexual individual to have suffered from the Oedipus complex during childhood without proper identification with the opposite sex parent. Lesbians tend to have a negative attitude towards their mother, stating that they are not understanding, very critical, dominating, and uncaring of their aspirations. The homosexual female was disrespectful, and would not compromise or submit to the mother’s desires (Podder, & De, 2011). The lack of identification led the individual to develop maladjusted behaviors and desires towards the same sex. The oedipal stage massively contributes to the development of sexual orientation (Podder & De, 2011). The individual would develop homosexual tendencies and behaviors without proper completion of the stage. Development would be hindered from this early stage and would affect the other stages throughout development. Personality in gay and lesbians would be affected by the improper or incomplete development at such an early stage. Development during the oedipal stage is critical in shaping personality, especially sexual orientation (Podder & De, 2011). Freud believed that homosexual men would relate with the mother while lesbians would identify wit... ... middle of paper ... ... http://ehis.ebscohost.com.proxy01.shawnee.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=66b37f5a-7a90-4c0d-a565-83b802b4cbf1%40sessionmgr115&vid=2&hid=116. Russock, H. I. (2011). An evolutionary interpretation of the effect of gender and sexual orientation on human mate selection preferences, as indicated by an analysis of personal advertisements. Behaviour, Volume 148 , 307-323. Retrieved 17 April 2015. http://www.ingentaconnect.com.proxy01.shawnee.edu/content/brill/beh/2011/00000148/00000003/art00004?token=0051107539412f415d766634707b2e2b597a5a7b6f2530482973305321433d6255592f3f3b3bc61b3. Zheng, L. L. (2010). Sex and Sexual Orientation Differences in Personality in China. Archives of Sexual Behavior , 533-541. Retrieved 17 April 2015. http://journals.ohiolink.edu.proxy01.shawnee.edu/ejc/pdf.cgi/Zheng_Lijun.pdf?issn=00040002&issue=v40i0003&article=533_sasodipic.
In sociology, the LGBT community is viewed as a subculture to the dominant world culture. The community is generally accepted by the dominant culture and although the group has some of its own beliefs and rituals/traditions, it still adheres to the fundamental beliefs and cultural expectations of the dominant culture. Before being considered a subculture, homosexual relationships and variations of sexual orientation were classified as devian behaviort. Even before that, someone who experienced homosexual thoughts or tendencies was labeled as mentally ill. The idea of homosexuality being a mental illness appeared in the DSM until 1987. There are still remnants of homophobia today but the consensus (at
Although homosexuality is not a mental disorder in and of itself, gay men and other men who have sex with men can present with poorer mental health outcomes as a result of social discrimination, rejection, isolation and marginalization.3 4, 5 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, gay men and other MSM are at increased risk for major depression, bipolar disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder, the common basis of which is likely homophobia.6 Sustained stress from this can also lead MSM to contemplate suicide or cope through substance use.7 Although providing appropriate mental health support for gay men and other MSM from a clinical perspective is similar to treating anyone else with mental challenges, it is critical to recognize the role that structural and social barriers play in exacerbating negative mental health outcomes among these individuals.
Homosexuality is a trending topic especially with the issue of gay marriage in Utah. As a heterosexual college woman, I have received negative and positive messages about homosexual orientation. Large amounts of adverse criticism concerning the issue began in my town and school. Most supporting messages came later in life, specifically attending college and moving to Salt Lake City. And while there seems to be a shift in societal views towards positive connotations regarding gay and lesbian, some negatives still hold power. Particularly, homosexual relationships and people are bad.
I chose this topic because there is an issue of homophobia around the world. I find it interesting as to why people are homosexual, and if there is a gene responsible for this or if it can be developed later in life. This area of research directly relates to the age old question of “nature Vs. nurture”.
Freud has multiple known theories all describing the unconsciousness, the human defense mechanism, the clinical conversation between patients and psychoanalyst, and most prominently he discussed about sexual desire. He explained sexual desire as the key motivating energy for humans, and he discussed about its magnitude. On the same topic of sexual desire, Freud also discussed about homosexuality and how it’s acquired (Freud’s View of Homosexuality, 2013). Sigmund Freud discussed the concept of homosexuality as deterministic. According to Feud, human beings are born with unfocused sexual libidinal d...
Is homosexuality considered a choice to have or not? Homosexuality is something someone is born with. Someone can not just choose whether they are straight, bisexual, pansexual, or homosexual. People sometimes want to be one, but they end up being the other, which is not their choice. People go through life thinking being a homosexual is considered a choice and for attention, but that isn’t at all what people do that for. In “Is Homosexuality a Choice?” the article states: “Supporting gay marriage becomes equivalent to supporting the construction of wheelchair ramps. The ‘gays can’t help being that way’ approach is reminiscent of the old view of homosexuality as a psychiatric illness” (Mallory, Marcia, Scientific American). This is saying
The debate over homosexuality as nature or nurture dominates most topics about homosexuality. People often confuse the nature/nurture issue with the development of gay identity. In fact, the nature/nurture argument plays a small, insignificant role concerning gay youths (Walling 11). Homosexual identity is the view of the self as homosexual in association with romantic and sexual situations (Troiden 46) Many researchers have either discussed or created several models or theories concerning the development of homosexual identity. However, the most prominent is Troiden’s sociological four-stage model of homosexual identity formation. Dr. Richard R. Troiden desc...
Developmental psychology is an area of research dedicated to the understanding of child-development. Throughout history many theories have been used to attempt to explain the complex process. Two of those theorists, Freud and Erikson, were instrumental in creating a foundation for child-psychology to build on. From a Freudian perspective, human development is centered on psychosexual theory. Psychosexual theory indicates that maturation of the sex drives underlies stages of personality development. Alternatively, Erikson is considered a neo-freudian scholar who developed psychosocial theory. In Erikson models there are eight major conflicts that occur during the course of an individual’s life.
As humans, it is natural to shy away from things that are different than the norm; we discriminate. It is very important to rid oneself of discrimination to better clarify the decision at hand. To make a valid conclusion on homosexuality, it is essential for one to forget what they were taught when socialization occurred, mainly birth to adulthood. As an example: You were told as a young child to hate and not associate yourself with African Americans because of the color of their skin, because they are different. When you grow older, you obtain a six-figure job, but y...
An issue that has, in recent years, begun to increase in arguments, is the acceptability of homosexuality in society. Until recently, homosexuality was considered strictly taboo. If an individual was homosexual, it was considered a secret to be kept from all family, friends, and society. However, it seems that society has begun to accept this lifestyle by allowing same sex couples. The idea of coming out of the closet has moved to the head of homosexual individuals when it used to be the exception.
Are we born to be automatically attracted to the opposite sex, or does society force it? How could one government declare itself democratic if they don’t allow homosexual couples? In the middle of all the attention, it is critical to understand how these individuals feel. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among young people ages 10 to 24 and 25% of them were reported to be homosexuals. The reason these numbers are so high could be because of how ignorant and uneducated people are about the subject. It could be easily inferred that homos chose their sexual orientation, however, that isn’t always the case. Even though one could choose to be homo, due to relationship failure or other reasons, others could be
What exactly is a homosexual? It is a person sexually attracted to a person of their own sex. Why do people become homosexuals? This is a question that has been asked ever since the first homosexual person "came out of the closet." People do not choose to become homosexuals. There has never been a proven theory of why people become homosexuals. There are three theories that try to explain why people become homosexuals, they are: the Biological theory, Psychiatric theory, and the Sociological theory.(Thio, 211) The Biological theory is broken down into three different parts. The first one is the hormone theory which states that homosexual men have a low level of male sex hormones and a homosexual female have a low level of female sex hormones.(IBID, 211) the second one is the genetic theory. The genetic theory states that people are born gay and society only helps their homosexuality advance. Researchers announced that there is even a "gay gene".(Nardo, 66) The last Biological theory is the brain theory. The brain theory states that a person who has a smaller brain is most likely going to be gay.(Thio, 211) The Psychiatric theory has evolved through many different thoughts about what is homosexuality. At first, psychiatrists thought that it was a mental illness. After it was proven not to be an illness many assumed that homosexuals were going through sexual orientation disturbance. Psychiatrists helped gays to accept themselves as being homosexuals. Another psychiatric theory was that homosexuals had a bad parent-son relationship when they were growing up.(IBID) The last theories are the Sociological theories. Sociological theories state that society affects a person's sexual preference. The biological predisp...
Jacques Balthazart, in the book, Biology of Homosexuality, examines the historical and cultural context in which homosexuality is expressed and attempts to dissect homosexual behavior and cognition from a biological perspective. He explains that there are behaviors in human sexuality that exhibit greater diversity than the sexual behavior of other animals. This exertion may lead one to conclude that human sexuality, as a result of its biological and emotional components, is more complex than the sexuality of other species. (Balthazart, p.4)
(B) The child eventually represses these desires as they feel threatened by the parent of the same sex and experience castration anxiety. They are afraid of challenging the father, and see themselves as powerless. (C) When the child identifies with the father, they become one with the aggressor and understand the father’s role. As a result, the child gets. A conscience and their father’s moral values. This must take place to overcome the Oedipal complex. (D) Freud claims the female Oedipal complex is a result of penis envy. (C) Penis envy leads to lifelong feelings of inadequacy for not having a penis. It causes her to want to share her father’s penis, resulting in an Oedipal/Electra complex that is never fully resolved. This leads to “female emotions” and a lack of a “full” personality
From the beginning of time, homosexuality has been, and continues to be an extremely sensitive and controversial topic among the masses. Individuals constantly find themselves lost in seas of chatter, participating in riveting debates regarding whether or not homosexuality is born or made. Every human being has their own set of values and beliefs, but both society and the church 's perspective of the issue have changed dramatically over the years.