...Across history, homosexuality has been shunned by societies all around the world. Only up until very recently has the idea of homosexuality become a bit more accepted and deemed “normal” than from the past. Despite this, homosexuals still suffer immensely in many aspects such as stress and discrimination. One of the most prevalent things homosexuals suffer from is mental health issues. Findings from a study that was conducted in Norway, gave evidence that homosexuals suffer from more mental health problems such as substance use disorders, mood disorders, and suicide than heterosexuals (Cochran, 2001). Why are mental health issues so prevalent amongst the homosexual community? What is the reason homosexuals suffer from psychological issues?...
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...Homosexuality: A Case of Nature versus Nurture By Robert L Smith Instructor: Mr. Simbarashe Chiduma A RESEARCH PAPER Submitted to Baker College in partial fulfillment of requirements For class: Soc 201 Winter 2012 Homosexual is defined as: “of, relating to, or characterized by a tendency to direct sexual desire toward another of the same sex” (Webster’s Dictionary, 4th ed., 2003) The nature approach is based on a chance that humans are born with a specific gene that determines if they will be homosexual. "In other words, some people are born gay." (Johnson, 2003) The nurture approach tells that people are influenced by their surroundings. In this approach, "A nurtured gay person is one that is 'made' gay." (Johnson, 2003) Originally the American Psychological Association (APA) had deemed homosexuality a mental disease. The debate now- a-days revolve around if sexuality is based on nature, a person’s environment, or based on nurture, a person’s upbringing. Alfred Kinsey pioneered one of the earliest experiments in the 1930s. Kinsey’s research resulted in little besides putting the word homosexual into the common language. Karen Hooker completed the first psychological test in 1957. The research was put together to investigate the relationship between homosexuality, psychological development, and illness. The subjects were given three tests, the Rorschach, TAT, and MAPS. She determined that there was no link between social determinism of sexuality...
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...Throughout the ages, our society has documented homosexuality. Within our culture, homosexuality has been largely condemned. In looking at the historical perspective of homosexuality, the responses were different with each society that was dealing with it. The Greeks were okay with it due to their belief that some of their mythical gods were engaging in homosexual behavior. Christianity denounced those sexual associations and made their belief and intentions clear that this behavior was not to continue. The legal system became intertwined with the Christian belief that homosexuality was sinful and would punish inappropriate sex acts as criminal offenses (Rathus, Nevid, & Fichner-Rathus, 2005). Heritage is another perspective to consider. Traditionally, in many cultures, there are specific roles for men and women. When family is the "primary social unit" as we find in the Latin American culture, anything outside of the designed gender roles are not acceptable (Rathus, Nevid, & Fichner-Rathus, 2005). Interestingly enough, men can be sexual with other males without being considered gay (Rathus, Nevid, & Fichner-Rathus, 2005). However, women cannot be sexual with other females as these are seen as a threat to the traditional male dominance in this culture. Women are also expected to be virgins when they marry, therefore, any sexual acts before marriage are prohibited. Specific gender roles in many cultures around the world lay the basis for what is consider correct and incorrect...
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...SEXUAL MORALITY Phil 150, Intro to Ethics What is it when we refer sexual morality? The word sex has two general meanings. First, it refers to whether one is female or male, and second, it refers to lovemaking or genital contact between two people, as in having sex. For the sake of this essay, I will broadly identify sexual morality as principles for sexual pleasure, desire, and activity. In the discussion for this paper, I will give my aspect on things regarding sexual morality that would be morally objectionable according to Kantian morality. I will also discuss a few factual matters that would be relevant for consequential arguments. I will conclude this paper showing how ethical theories address issues of homosexuality. According to Kantian morality, moral concerns will not be about the consequences of sexual behavior, but about whether they enhance or use people fairly or unfairly. If govern by Kant’s principles, ones sexual morality would be either right or wrong or justifiable or unjustifiable sexual behavior. In a sexual relationship using these principles, both persons should do that which is acceptable to both persons; each person must put themselves in the shoes of the other. Also, under the Kantianism position, anything is permissible as long as both participants agree. The key concern would be whether or not the agreement is real. Therefore, one must take to issue things that would be morally objectionable. Lying, deceit, and refusal to inform...
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...Homosexuality From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about homosexuality in humans. For homosexuality in other animals, see Homosexual behavior in animals. Sexual orientation Male and female symbols overlaid Sexual orientations Asexual Bisexual Heterosexual Homosexual Non-binary categories Androphilia and gynephilia Non-heterosexual Pansexuality Polysexuality Queer Research Biological Human female sexuality Human male sexuality Demographics Environment Hetero/homosexual continuum Kinsey scale Klein Grid Neuroscientific Queer studies Sexology Timeline of sexual orientation and medicine Non-human animals Animal sexual behaviour Non-reproductive sexual behavior in animals Homosexual behavior in animals (list) Category Category v t e Part of a series on Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people LGBT flag Sexual orientation Homosexuality Demographics Biology Environment History LGBT history Timeline Social movements Culture LGBT community Coming out Pride Slang Symbols Gay village Rights Laws around the world Marriage Union Adoption LGBT parenting Military service Legal aspects of transgenderism Intersex human rights Social attitudes Heteronormativity LGBT stereotypes Queer Religion and homosexuality Religion and transgender Prejudice / Violence AIDS stigma Anti-intersex Biphobia Genderism Heterosexism Homophobia Lesbophobia Binarism Sexualism Suicide among LGBT youth Transphobia Violence against LGBT people LGBT trafficking ...
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...countries, lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals are arguing against many of the negative depictions of homosexuality fostered by the Judeo-Christian tradition and, more recently, the field of psychology. The emergence of nineteenth century medicine and psychoanalysis challenged many traditional religious perspectives, but in certain respects it also sought to ’’validate" the long held view that homosexual women and men reflect the most base forms of human existence. A large number of social ills and perverse behaviors were, and often are, linked to homosexuality. As a consequence, homosexuals have encountered a myriad of severe labels from "psychopathological" to "criminal” as well as attempts by psychiatrists to administer lobotomies and electro-shock therapy as a means to cure their malady. Studies show that religion also plays a major role along with gender and gender-role attitudes. People who are part of conservative religions tend to hold more hostile attitudes toward gay and lesbian individuals, however culture moderates the relationship between religiosity and attitudes. In developed nations, personal religiosity is a strong predictor. Adamcyzk and Pitt (2009) explored the effect of cultural orientation and religiosity on beliefs about homosexuality and found that countries with a survivalist orientation (i.e., cultures holding onto traditions and norms) tended to believe that homosexuality was not justifiable, whereas self-expressive countries (i.e., cultures more open to change...
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... Research Paper in Symbolic Logic HOMOSEXUALITIES Submitted by Joann E. Buenavente Submitted to Prof. Fabian Avila I. Introduction Homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As an orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectionate, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same sex; "it also refers to an individual's sense of personal and social identity based on those attractions, behaviors expressing them, and membership in a community of others who share them." Homosexuality is one of the three main categories of sexual orientation, along with bisexuality and heterosexuality, within the heterosexual-homosexual continuum (with asexuality sometimes considered a fourth). Scientific and medical understanding is that sexual orientation is not a choice, but rather a complex interplay of biological and environmental factors,[1][3] especially with regard to early uterine environment. While there are those who still hold the view that homosexual activity is "unnatural" or "dysfunctional", research has shown that homosexuality is an example of natural variation in human sexuality and is not in and of itself a source of negative psychological effects. Prejudice and discrimination against homosexual and bisexual people, however, have been shown to cause psychological harm. The most common terms for homosexual...
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...move toward a goal. The goal may be to satisfy a biological need, as in eating a sandwich to reduce hunger. The goal may be to complete a psychological goal, such as having fame, money, or a good marriage. The real definition of motivation is the need or desire that energizes and directs behavior. This often involves choice, length, power, resolution, and emotional response. Motivation can be seen as both stable and unstable. Motivation can be seen as behavior, or stable personality of individuals. Motivation can be seen as a temporary state that changes in response to environmental or internal states. There are four perspective theories of motivation: Instinct theory, Drive-Reduction theory, Arousal theory, and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Instinct theory is replaced by the evolutionary perspective. Instincts are complex behaviors that have fixed patterns throughout different species and are not learned. When the instinct theory of motivation failed, it was replaced by the drive-reduction theory. A physiological need creates an aroused tension state (a drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy the need. Drive-Reduction Theory Emphasize the interaction between inner pushes and external pulls. The physiological aim of drive reduction is homeostasis. Homeostasis is trend to maintain a balanced; the regulation of any aspect of body chemistry, such as blood glucose, around a particular level. Incentives are the positive or negative environmental stimulus that motivates...
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...affect it , sexual orientation , causes of homosexuality , attitudes towards homosexuality , differences between definition of sex and gender , gender socialization and 2 main approaches to gender inequality; functionalist and feminist approaches. First of all , according to text , we can say that sexuality is personal subject and it is hard to explain it with exact words , but with biological basis , sexuality means that "female anatomy differs from that of the male."(Giddens, chapter 12) In addition to the explanations of biologists , medical researchers and sexologists about human sexual behavior, we can also see another view that comes from scholars which is looking to the animal world to understand the human sexual behavior. However, Steven Rose claimed that , in contrast to most animal , not only genetically programmed insticts , but also environment shape the human behavior even more than their genetics do , and Rose also stated that humans learn more from their experiences thanks to having exceptionaly long infancy relative to animals . Secondly , there are social influences on sexual behavior . In all societies , heterosexuality , i.e "looking to the other sex for emotional involvement and sexual pleasure" is considered to be the basis of marriage , and homosexual people who look to the same sex emotionally have some trouble. However , this is not the case all the time because in some cultures , homosexuality is tolerated and approved . For example...
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...Conversion therapy, otherwise known as psychological abuse, is the practice of actively attempting to change one’s sexuality and/or gender identity. This practice is based on the outdated idea that homosexuality is a mental illness/sin, and something that can be fixed. So far, nine states in America have banned the practice of conversion therapy for children under 18, however, that leaves 41 states that allow the torture of LGBT children. These states should follow their predecessors and enact legislation that bans this harmful practice for minors. Homosexuality is not a mental disorder. The American Psychology Association(APA) has clearly stated their position on homsexuality. The organization claims that “Research has found no inherent association between any of these sexual orientations and psychopathology. Both heterosexual behavior and homosexual behavior are normal aspects of human sexuality”. They go on to explain that despite the...
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...MWENGE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF EDUCATION FACULT OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY COURSE TITTLE: SOCIALIZATION PROCESS COURSE CODE: SOC-108 TERM PAPER HOMOSEXUALITY IN TANZANIA STUDENT’S NAME MDODI F MDODI REG: T/DEG/MWUCE/2012/ 0578 Section one HOMOSEXUALITY IN TANZANIA 1.0 Introduction Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual activity between members of the same sex or gender. As an orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectionate, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same sex. "It also refers to an individual's sense of personal and social identity based on those attractions, behaviors expressing them, and membership in a community of others who share them.’’(Giddes2009) The homosexuality rights leads to the formation of International Lesbian and Gay’s Association in 1978 in USA (ILGA). (Giddes1989) Transsexual is a process by which a person who strongly identifies with the opposite sex and may seek to as a member of this sex especially by undergoing surgery and hormone therapy to obtain a necessary physical appearance (as by changing the external sex organs). The most common terms for homosexual people...
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...ROSKILDE UNIVERSITY 2005 HOMOSEXUALITY Joanna Barnecka Kinga Karp Mie Lollike Psychology, Modul Autumn Semester 2005 Group Number 107 Supervisor: Bettina Hjortholt Characters: 106.189 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 2 ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................. 2 MOTIVATION.............................................................................................................. 3 PROBLEM DEFINITION ............................................................................................... 4 CARDINAL QUESTION ................................................................................................ 4 SUB-QUESTIONS ......................................................................................................... 4 METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................................... 5 INTRODUCTION TO THE TERM HOMOSEXUALITY .................................... 6 THEORETICAL BACKGROUNDS FOR UNDERSTANDING HOMOSEXUALITY................................................................................................... 9 HOMOSEXUALITY FROM A BEHAVIOURISTIC POINT OF VIEW ................................ 10 HOMOSEXUALITY FROM A BIOLOGICAL POINT OF VIEW ....................................... 16 HOMOSEXUALITY FROM A PSYCHODYNAMIC POINT OF VIEW....
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...potential to be labeled as gay. Although in reality he may be straight, preconceived notions related to masculinity and the male gender would lead someone or a group of people to view this man as homosexual (Endendijk 578). While this is only one example, there are multiple examples of the adversity gay men and women face when these misconceptions of stereotypes arise. Some variances within stereotypes of gay men include being perceived as “perverted and lonely”, as well as more derogatory perceptions such as “having strong sex drives and as dangerous to youth” (Boysen 69). Bullies use these negative stereotypes as hypothetical ammunition when confronting a homosexual victim. This use of the vague and invalid stereotypes that surround homosexuality has a tremendous impact on the victims of bullying. Until recently, studies were not conducted in order to bring light to the public to provide information that is not necessarily known within the majority of social circles. In my research project I plan to explore the general body’s perception and knowledge on the effects of bullying like this and their ideas of how to stop...
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...Comparing and Contrasting Essentialist Approaches to Social Psychology with Social Constructionist Approaches to Social Psychology. A widely recognised definition of social psychology is “an effort to understand and explain how the thought, feeling, and behaviour of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others” (Allport, 1985). However, how to measure this, the research methods to be used and what constitutes useful evidence has caused much debate in the history of social psychology. This essay will compare and contrast the two epistemologies of essentialist and social constructionist approaches to social psychology and the research methods of quantitative and qualitative used in each approach. Essentialists’ view of the world is that the properties possessed by a group are universal in that group and do not depend on context. However, a member of a group may possess other characteristics that are not required to include it as a group member but, it must not have characteristics that preclude it from being a member of the group (Burr, 1995). For example, essentialists believe that personality consists of a number of traits and personality of an individual is established by the level of each of these traits. Essentialists also believe that these traits remain more or less stable over time and it is our personality that influences behaviour (Maltby, 2010). As essentialists are able to classify groups as such, they use quantitative research...
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...Reporter: Mylane Dela Rama Topic: Sexual Orientation could be Socially Determined Sexual Orientation -is a term frequently used to describe a person’s romantic, emotional or sexual attraction to another person Kinds of Sexual Orientation: Heterosexuality Homosexuality Bisexuality Asexuality THEORIES * SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY (Albert Bandura) Social learning theory focuses on the learning that occurs within a social context. It considers that people learn from one another, including such concepts as observational learning, imitation, and modeling Assumptions: 1. People are social beings; they react to the environment or respond to stimuli in the environment 2. The idea of an existing innate sex drive is superfluous since trait or trait-like behaviour is created in conjunction with environmental stimuli 3. Social behaviour can occur without external reinforcement; individual cognitions mediate the cues from the environment. * LABELING THEORY (Social Reaction Theory) Labeling theory is concerned with how the self-identity and behaviour of an individual is influenced (or created) by how that individual is categorized and described by others in their society Assumptions: 1. Labels applied to individuals influence their behaviour, particularly the application of negative or stigmatizing labels (such as "gay") promote deviant behaviour becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy References: http://www.taeterinnen.org/en/04_constructivist...
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