Introduction:
Throughout history, human sexuality, including homosexuality, has been a topic of great interest and controversy. The perception of homosexuality has undergone significant shifts, shaped by cultural, religious, and scientific beliefs. This article delves into the historical evolution of views on homosexuality within the field of psychology, highlighting how understanding and acceptance have evolved over time.
The Early Notions of Deviation:
In the 18th and 19th centuries, prevailing cultural norms influenced the perception of homosexuality. Many societies deemed same-sex relationships as deviant or immoral, viewing them as a threat to societal order and traditional family values. Religious teachings and moral codes played a substantial role in shaping these beliefs, leading to the stigmatization and discrimination of individuals with same-sex attractions.
Psychological Pathologization:
The emergence of psychology as a scientific discipline in the late 19th century led to the exploration of human behavior and sexuality. However, early psychologists often adhered to the societal norms of their time, viewing homosexuality as a mental disorder. Influential figures like Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, characterized homosexuality as a form of developmental arrest and considered it a pathology.
In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) removed homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). However, it wasn’t until 1977 that the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9) revised its classification and depathologized homosexuality.
The Disease Model and Famous Advocates:
The ICD-9’s 1977 revision listed homosexuality under “Sexual Deviations” and classified it as “302.0 Sexual Orientation Disturbance.” This classification perpetuated the notion that homosexuality was a disorder, leading to harmful and discriminatory practices, including conversion therapy, which aimed to change an individual’s sexual orientation.
Famous names such as Charles Socarides, a psychiatrist, and Irving Bieber, a psychologist, staunchly supported the disease model of homosexuality. They conducted research that claimed to find psychological maladjustments in gay men, perpetuating harmful stereotypes and misconceptions about homosexuality.
Today, the field of psychology recognizes homosexuality as a natural variation of human sexuality, as a direct result, that society has left all the traditional standards and morals and biblical and family values. Society has left the traditional view of marriage as a union between a man and a woman due to a departure from scriptural norms.
Even biologically the LGBTQ+ movement goes against “nature” (created design) and ends its route in dead-end streets, as they can not reproduce, thus they are doomed to extinction. That’s how the “Isolated-island” theory explains it.
Our minds and souls need to be healed and saved from perversions that once were defined, and later on abandoned, that the lust may burst freely. Humans are not to be driven by lust, but they are to have it under control.
Let all things be done decently and in order. (1.Corinthians 14:40 KJV)
