The diagnostic status of homosexuality in DSM-III: a reformulation of the issues.

In 1973 homosexuality per se was removed from the DSM-II classification of mental disorders and replaced by the category Sexual Orientation Disturbance. This represented a compromise between the view that preferential homosexuality is invariably a mental disorder and the view that it is merely a normal sexual variant. While the 1973 DSM-II controversy was highly public, more recently a related but less public controversy involved what became the DSM-III category of Ego-dystonic Homosexuality. The author presents the DSM-III controversy and a reformulation of the issues involved in the diagnostic status of homosexuality. He argues that what is at issue is a value judgment about heterosexuality, rather than a factual dispute about homosexuality.

Identifying specific erotic cues in sexual deviations by audiotaped descriptions.

Using audiotaped descriptions of sexual experiences and a direct measure of penile erection, it is possible to specify more precisely erotic cues in sexual deviates. Results indicated that such cues are highly idiosyncratic. Some tentative conclusions and suggested application for the method are discussed.

Homosexuality: some diagnostic perspectives and dynamic considerations.

Homosexuality as a diagnostic category has been of limited value since the sexual functioning, ego development, and object relations of patients are not always correlated. Considering homosexuality as a complex configuration resulting from the interplay of unconscious drives with defensive processes and adaptive implications offers a comprehensive dynamic approach. Illustrative case material is presented.

Children's schemata of man and woman: a comparison with the schemata of heterosexual and homosexual populations.

The present study was designed to examine the man-woman schemata employed by children and compare them with those used by different sexually mature populations. A central hypothesis of the investigation was that the frequency with which children use various male-female schemata more closely resembles the frequency with which homosexuals use these schemata than either group resembles the pattern pervasive in mature heterosexual populations. The Ss were 70 white boys and 70 white girls in the fourth grade of large urban public schools. The task was the free placement of figures cut from felt on a flannel board. One group of figures contained a man, a woman, and two rectangles, while the other group consisted of two man figures and two woman figures. The schemata employed by the children in their figure arrangements were significantly different from those of adult heterosexuals and resembled those of adult homosexuals. The discussion includes the consideration of a "bracketing schema" that is employed far more often by adult heterosexuals than it is by children or homosexuals.

On the validity of typologies of gay males.

The classical dichotomization of male homosexuals into passive and active or insertee and inserter types is tested against empirical evidence. Data on the sexual preferences of 243 male homosexuals are analyzed to determine the extent to which they fit the insertee-inserter dichotomy. The fit between the dichotomy and the data is found to be very poor. The most popular set of sexual preferences is for all roles combined, both active and passive anal and oral. It is suggested that the concepts of oral and anal may better characterize the sexual preferences of male homosexuals than those of insertee and inserter. A variety of complex interaction effects among sexual preferences are also reported.

Ego-dystonic heterosexuality: a case study.

This study reports a case of a heterosexual male who was not psychotic and expressed a wish for a homosexual orientation. The psychodynamics of this patient are discussed, and the classification of ego-dystonic states discussed. It is concluded that DSM-III diagnoses should reflect underlying psychological disorders rather than sexual orientation.

Age-status labeling in homosexual men.

Ninety-five homosexual men between 25 and 68 years of age were asked to classify themselves as young, middle-aged, or old. Most men in their 20s and 30s described themselves as young; most men in their 40s and all men over 50 described themselves as middle-aged. The popular suggestion of accelerated aging in homosexual men was not supported. Homosexual men who anticipate such accelerated aging might possess poorer physical and or psychological health than those who do not.

Homosexuality in the Rorschach: a new look at the old signs.

Content responses to the Rorschach inkblot test have been used by clinicians to assess homosexuality. In comparing educated, adjusted male homosexuals to educated, adjusted heterosexuals, no differences were found between the groups when the traditional index of homosexuality on the Rorschach was used. The index was unable to distinguish the groups on a number of criteria. The reliability of the index was found to be significantly greater for the homosexual group than for the heterosexual group. It was suggested that the traditional index is not valid and that it should not be used in a clinical setting as a measure to assess homosexuality.

The effects of a homophile organization on the self-esteem and alienation of its members.

Wth the expanding number and kinds of homophile organizations, a need exists to evaluate the effect these organizations have upon their members. Stemming from a previous investigation by the author, this study of the relationship between membership in a homophile organization and the dependent variables Self-Esteem and Alienation was conducted. It was found that Self-Esteem remained unaffected while Alienation levels decreased initially but started rising again a 1-year period of participation in the organization. The author hypothesizes reasons for these relationships and suggest areas for subsequent investigations.

The role of cognitive and situational variables in aggression toward homosexuals.

The relationship of several antecedents of aggression toward homosexuals was investigated. Attitudes toward homosexuality, perceived similarity to the target homosexual, and type of prior contact with the target homosexual were found to interact in influencing such aggressiveness. The implication of these findings to the "personal threat" and "scapegoating" hypotheses of aggression toward homosexuals is discussed.

Code switching and sexual orientation: a test of Bernstein's sociolinguistic theory.

Bernstein's theory was tested in the homosexual's "closed" community to determine code-switching ability and its relationship to jargon. Subjects told a story based on homoerotic photographs where knowledge of sexual orientation was varied. Rather than finding the restricted code associated with in-group communication, an analysis of data trends (since all hypotheses were rejected) suggests that homosexual hemophyly encouraged elaboration, and status differentiation resulted in a more restricted code. Story length was the most significant variable across groups. Some of Bernstein's theoretical explanations require modification to account for subjects' behavior in stigmatized social groups.

Sexual aspirations and sexual behaviors among homosexually behaving males and females: the impact of the gay community.

Questionnaires were administered to 100 males and 168 females who expressed strong homoerotic aspirations. These two groups were further divided into those who were members of the gay community and those who were not. Two questions served to focus the research effort: (a) to what extent is the relationship between homoerotic sexual aspirations and subsequent gratifications different for homosexuality behaving females and males, and (b) what, if any, effect does membership in the gay community have on the sexual facilitation of these aspirations? Analysis of the data suggests that issues pertaining to differences between homosexually behaving males and females cannot be addressed apart from corresponding issues concerning the impact of the gay community as a facilitator of homoerotic sexual aspirations.

Homophobia: the quest for a valid scale.

Using a modified version of Smith's "homophobic scale", this study examines attitudinal differences between 60 homosexual and 60 heterosexual Caucasian, middle-class males. While Smith's items fail to meet minimal Guttman Scalogram requirements, significant attitudinal differences were recorded between groups. Furthermore, homosexual subjects were significantly more liberal than heterosexual subjects regarding the propriety of masturbation extramarital sexual activities, as well as the sexual activities of their teenage sisters. Although homosexual subjects evidenced a consistent liberal attitude toward sexual behavior in general many heterosexuals indicated a strong margin of attitudinal uncertainty in their responses.

Analysis of public attitudes toward homosexual behavior.

Data from a 1974 representative survey of the white American adult population indicate that most white Americans (75%) disapprove of homosexual relations. Those persons who tend to hold more favorable attitudes toward homosexual relations are those under 30 years of age, those living in larger urban centers, and those with college experience.

Forbidden colors of love: patterns of gay love and gay liberation.

A typology of styles of loving is applied to the search for partners among gay males, using a sample of advertisers in a gay newspaper. Characteristics of advertisers and of the partners they seek are analyzed. The impact of gay liberation ideology on gay male relationships is considered as a model of predicted changes in heterosexual male selection patterns.

A factor-analytic conceptualization of attitudes toward male and female homosexuals.

A wide spectrum of opinions and beliefs concerning homosexuals was sampled, compiled into a questionnaire format, and administered to a large group of heterosexual subjects. Factor analysis yielded six independent sets of attitudes that describe the variance in heterosexual reactions to homosexuals. The relationship of sex differences and familiarity with homosexuals to variations in response style is discussed.

Classifying sexual disorders: the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association.

The objectivity of the classification of sexual disorders in the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-III) of the American Psychiatric Association is explored via a critical examination of the replacement of homosexuality per se by ego-dystonic homosexuality, DSM's working concept of a mental disorder, the notion of a paraphilia, components of sexual identity, and the literature on variant sexual behaviors. It is argued that the same criteria that led to the removal of homosexuality per se as a mental disorder require the removal of all the paraphilias per se, there is no empirical warrant to justify their continued inclusion, and while there is legitimacy for a generalized ego-dystonic category, such ego-dystonias are only incidentally sexual. It is suggested that the present classification of sexual disorders is merely the codification of social mores.