The Homosexual Brain?

1497 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Homosexuality throughout history

The Homosexual Brain?

In 1992, Vice-President Dan Quayle said that homosexuality "is more of a choice than a biological situation...It is a wrong choice." (1). Quayle's statement counters the sentiment of many homosexuals that their sexual orientation is neither a lifestyle nor a personal choice, it is innate and unchangeable (2) . Is homosexuality a choice or does sexual preference have a biological basis? This question is at the forefront of academic, scientific, political, legal and media consciousness (3). The debate over homosexuality has influenced a myriad of research in finding a biological cause for differences in sexual behavior.

The quest to find a biological substrate for homosexuality resembles an earlier movement in research to determine the nature of I.Q. scores. Both revolve around finding a biological basis for differences in human behavior. Like the previous research on intelligence, the research on homosexuality is plagued with difficulties. One large obstacle in this type of research is the difficulty in making statements about causality from correlational studies (simple, linear relationships between two variables) (4). In other words, it is difficult to determine what comes first the chicken or the egg.

Recently, a plethora of research has been done on determining brain differences between homosexuals and heterosexuals. Simon LeVay's work on the anterior hypothalamus is the most widely discussed and debated research in the area of sexual orientation and neuroscience. This paper will examine Simon LeVay's research which declares that there is a physiological difference between the brains of heterosexual and homosexual men (5). Furthermore, it will discuss the shortcomings of his research and the n...

... middle of paper ...

...tation.

http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/97jun/burr2.htm

3)Johns Hopkins, Criticism of LeVay's study of sexual orientation on Johns Hopkins web site.

http://www.press.jhu...nals/substance/v029/29.1wilson.html

4) University of Texas , web site outlining the biological determinism of homosexuality.

http://www.utexas.edu/courses/bio301c/Topics/Gay/Text.html

5)Rice University, Lecture notes from Rice elucidating the relationship between hormones and behavior.

http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~psyc362/lectures/lec14/tsld001.htm

6)Journal of Neuroscience, Allen, Hines, Shryne, and Gorski journal article titled "Two sexually dimorphic cell groups in the human brain."

http://www.jneurosci.org/misc/special.shtml

7)Simon LeVay's Web Page, Provides details about LeVay's work from his own perspective.

http://members.aol.com_ht_a/slevay/index.html

Show More
Related

  • The American Dream in The Madonnas of Echo Park by Brando Skyhorse

    1185 Words  | 3 Pages

    Myers, David G. "The funds, friends, and faith of happy people." American psychologist 55.1 (2000): 56.

    Read More

  • Born Gay: Truth and Circumstances.

    1431 Words  | 3 Pages

    Most scientists and psychologists believe that homosexuality is caused by a gene determined at birth much like your hair, skin, and eye color are determined, meaning homosexuality is not a choice and is no more a choice than choosing your skin color. Studies known as adoption studies show that sexual preference is genetic by adopting a young infant child and placing them in either a homosexual or h...

    Read More

  • Dissociating the World: Dissociative Identity Disorder

    1225 Words  | 3 Pages

    People often think that D.I.D. (Dissociative Identity Disorder) is something made up, something that a person is just inventing in order to get attention; that statement couldn’t be more Incorrect. Dissociative Identity Disorder, formally known at Multiple Personality Disorder, is a dissociative disorder, not a personality disorder or a psychosis. D.I.D. is a severe form of dissociation, a mental process which produces a lack of connection in a person’s thoughts, memories, emotion, behavior, or sense of identity. D.I.D. is thought to stem from trauma experienced by the person with the disorder. The dissociative aspect is thought to be a coping mechanism; the person literally dissociates himself or herself from a situation or experience that is too violent, traumatic, or painful to assimilate with his or her conscious self.

    Read More

  • Identity Immigder: The Causes Of Dissociative Identity Disorder

    884 Words  | 2 Pages

    Dissociative identity disorder, a condition that has plagued and altered the minds of those who were diagnosed for many years, represents the condition in which an individual displays multiple personalities that overpower his or her behavior around others and even alone. Such personalities or identities can have staggering differences between them even being characterized by a disparate gender, race, or age. One of the sides of them can even be animal-like and display feral qualities. Also, the disorder severs the connection between the victim’s sense of identity, emotions, actions, and even memories from their own consciousness. The cause for this is known to be a very traumatic experience that the person had gone through previously and fails to cope with it, thus they dissociate themselves from the memory in order to keep their mental state in one piece. All these results from the disorder do not begin to tell of the rest of the horrors that gnaw away at the affected human.

    Read More

  • Theory Of Dissociative Identity Disorder

    888 Words  | 2 Pages

    Dissociation is a word that describes what happens when normal perceptions, sensations, memories, or identity become disintegrated. It is a separation between two things and becomes a disorder when the behavior is extreme and uncontrolled. Dissociative Identity Disorder, formerly known as multiple personalities, can be defined by as a mental disorder in which individuals experience a shattering of a unified identity into at least two separate but coexisting personalities with different memories, behavior patterns, and emotions(1). Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) shows an onset of multiple “alters” in a patient. Alters are personalities that appear to have the control over a person’s functioning in certain situations. These alters can dress,

    Read More

  • Multiple Personality Disorder

    2009 Words  | 5 Pages

    Many people may wonder what specifically defines Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). This disorder is a mental illness that involves the sufferer experiencing two or more clear identities or personalities, also called alters, each of which has their own way of seeing and connecting themselves to the world (1). This disorder was formally known as Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD), and is frequently called split personality disorder (1). The actions of victims with DID are determined by the personality that is dominant at a specific time (7). “In the category of Dissociative Disorder there are four main disorders: depersonalization, derelization, dissociative fugue and dissociative identity disorder (8). Furthermore, “DID is a severe form of dissociation, a mental process, which produces a lack of connection in a person's thoughts, memories, feelings, actions, or sense of identity” (www.webmd.com). Having a thorough understanding of the meaning of DID is exceedingly significant for the doctors that diagnose and treat patients.

    Read More

  • Dissociative Identity Disorder

    644 Words  | 2 Pages

    People often act and feel differently in various settings. For example, teenagers may act differently at a party than they do at school. However, people in good mental health maintain constant awareness of themselves no matter what the situation. Individuals with dissociative identity disorder do not. They experience sudden changes in consciousness, identity, and memory. They may discover new clothing in their closet without knowing where they got it, or even find themselves in a strange place and not remember how they got there. Their identity is broken into pieces consisting of different emotions, memories, and styles. They may shift from being passive and accepting to being hostile and uncooperative. Sometimes one personality may cause the individual to inflict physical harm on his or her own body.

    Read More

  • Dissociative identity disorder

    1410 Words  | 3 Pages

    The growing recognition of psychiatric conditions resulting from traumatic influences is a significant mental health issue of the 1990s. Until recently considered rare and mysterious psychiatric curiosities, Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) (until very recently known as Multiple Personality Disorder - MPD) and other Dissociative Disorders (DD) are now understood to be fairly common effects of severe trauma in early childhood, most typically extreme, repeated physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse.

    Read More

  • Dissociative Identity Disorder

    1290 Words  | 3 Pages

    What is Dissociative Identity Disorder? A proper explanation of DID necessitates a dissection of the name itself. Dissociation is “a mental process, which produces a lack of connection in a person's thoughts, memories, feelings, actions, or sense of identity.”1 In other words, there is a disruption in the way in which these usually integrated functions communicate. Daydreaming, highway hypnosis, or “getting lost” in a book or movie are all examples of very mild dissociation.

    Read More

  • Causes of Homosexuality - Nature AND Nuture

    551 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first possible cause of homosexuality is genetic factors. Homosexuality is a trait from birth (Buchanan, 2000). Studies found that identical twins share many common traits. A study found that identical twins normally share homosexual behavior if one of them is homosexual. This proved that genes are likely to cause homosexuality. In addition, according to (Santinover, 2002), homosexuality is a heritable behavior. Based on heritability studies, almost any human trait is heritable including the homosexual behavior. He stated that behavioral genes are found in specific chromosome. Thus, the behavior is obviously heritable. Moreover, Italian University of Padova (2004) believes that homosexual trait is passed from mother to male offspring by natural ...

    Read More

  • The Validity of Dissociative Identity Disorder

    1320 Words  | 3 Pages

    In 1974, a book came out to educate the masses about a rare disorder. The book’s name was Sybil and the disorder was Multiple Personality, now known as Dissociative Identity. By definition Dissociative Identity Disorder is when a patient has two or more distinct identities that switch in taking control of behavior. (Butcher 241). Even though Dissociative Identity Disorder is classified as a mental disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders third edition (DSM), it has not been fully accepted by the world of psychology as a whole.

    Read More

  • Sexual Orientation: Is It a Choice?

    1857 Words  | 4 Pages

    Genetics, biology, and upbringing are all key aspects in determining one’s sexual orientation. Many of the factors are combined to make up how a person feels or who he or she is attracted to. There is no definite answer to why someone has a particular orientation, but there are studies that sugge...

    Read More

  • Dissociative Identity Disorder

    1252 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dissociative Identity disorder, DID, is a disorder in which a person experiences a variation of changes in one’s memory, identity, feelings, actions, or conscious. Dissociate identity disorder was perviously known as Multiple Personality Disorder until 1994 where the name was changed to give a better understanding of the condition. It was felt that Multiple Personality Disorder name was more characterized by the separation of identity than the growth of separate identities. It is very rare in life, and is thought to originate from severe trauma during early childhood by the person with the disorder. The aspect of dissociative is thought to be a mechanism for coping. A person with dissociative identity disorder is literally separati...

    Read More

  • Attim And Religion: Atheism Vs. Religion

    774 Words  | 2 Pages

    In an article “Are Religious People Happier Than Non-religious People?”, it states “As studies show that religion gives people a sense of purpose and order and serves as a resource for coping with negative life experiences and existential fears.” It then states “Though people, especially in individualistic nations like the United States, talk about religion as an internal or personal belief system, religion is rarely done in solitude. Religion is typically a social activity and research indicates that social ties are one of the most important contributors to happiness.” (Routledge) Thus it’s not religion itself that creates happiness, but the social aspect of a shared bond. This differs from atheists who find happiness in making their own decisions. To continue, in the article, “Religious People Have Higher Self-Esteem But Only In Some Countries, Study Shows”, it states “Studies have shown that God-fearing folks tend to have higher self-esteem than nonbelievers”. (Searles) A claim such as this, challenges the assertion that atheists have higher self-esteem. The article continues and explains that “religious belief is linked to high self-esteem only in countries that emphasize religious belief.” (Searles) Religion poses a threat to the claim that atheism creates higher confidence, but it occurs only in those cases where religion is a fundamental instillment in one’s

    Read More

  • Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation

    3600 Words  | 8 Pages

    Zhang, S., Liu, Y., & Rao, Y. (2013). Serotonin signaling in the brain of adult female mice is required for sexual preference. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(24), 9968-9973.

    Read More

More about The Homosexual Brain?

Open Document