Theories of homosexuality

I was to discuss cancer of the prostate gland as a follow up. Then a male patient visited me, and started jerry – meandering on a lot of unrelated topics, and finally asked “Doc how does one know he is a homosexual, my son, who is in the University now, according to my wife, does not appear to have interest in the  opposite sex”. After much discussion on the son’s behavioral pattern, I decided to write on theories of homosexuality.

Homosexuals themselves may articulate reasons for their preferences, but society in general tends to see homosexuality as an abnormal state needing explanation in terms of some physical or psychological defect. The physical theories put forward include a. Neurophysiological – in which, homosexual behavior is due to malfunction or stimulation of certain parts of the brain. b. Hormonal – in which it is due to hormone imbalance, example in a male homosexual, a lack of male hormones or an excess of female ones. And c. Genetic – in which some inherited defect is blamed. Bits of evidence for each of these include:

A recent very experimental technique of transforming homosexuals into heterosexuals, by using tiny electric shocks to knock out certain cells in the brain.

Evidence of hormone imbalance in a few homosexuals. And Evidence that homosexuals tend to have been born to elderly mothers, a situation that is known to be one in which chromosome abnormality often occurs.

But research findings for all these theories are mainly ambiguous or contradicted by other studies, and there is no scientific agreement about any of them.

Psychological factors of homosexuality.

Even if physical factors are involved, psychological ones seem more important. It is significant that the potential for homosexuality seems to exist in all men, and that homosexual feeling is typical of one stage, in early adolescence, and is easily suppressed by societal pressure, norms and religion, which condemns and abhors homosexuality.

Sometimes the feeling is prolonged, and this prolongation happens when certain family emotional patterns have occurred in the childhood. In particular combination of an un-affectionate, even hostile father, with an emotional, over-intimate mother, may mean that a growing boy lacks or reacts against identification with a male model, and is drawn into his mother’s feminity.

   The situation may be made worse if the mother accompanies her mother – son intimacy with subconsciously ambiguous physical caresses, out of frustration or resentment against the father. The child’s sexuality may be awakened, but as he cannot imagine himself taking a sexual initiative in relation to his mother, women may come to seem unobtainable or alarming. He will them develop a pathological hatred for women and gravitate towards conuppeance with men. Or vice versa in terms of female, hence lesbianism. Always be medically guided.

Please follow me on Twitter @_DRSUN.