Friday, June 13, 2008

New Study Links Homophobia with Homosexual Arousal

IS HOMOPHOBIA ASSOCIATED WITH HOMOSEXUAL AROUSAL?

by Henry E. Adams, Ph.D., Lester W. Wright, Jr., Ph.D. and Bethany A. Lohr


Questions Whether It Is Latent Homosexuality Or A Response to Anxiety

Psychoanalytic theory holds that homophobia --the fear, anxiety, anger, discomfort and aversion that some ostensibly heterosexual people hold for gay individuals -- is the result of repressed homosexual urges that the person is either unaware of or denies. A study appearing in the August issue of the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association (APA), provides new empirical evidence that is consistent with that theory.

Researchers at the University of Georgia conducted an experiment involving 35 homophobic men and 29 non-homophobic men as measured by the Index of Homophobia scale. All the participants selected for the study described themselves as exclusively heterosexual both in terms of sexual arousal and experience.

Each participant was exposed to sexually explicit erotic stimuli consisting of heterosexual, male homosexual and lesbian videotapes (but not necessarily in that order). Their degree of sexual arousal was measured by penile plethysmography, which precisely measures and records male tumescence.

Men in both groups were aroused by about the same degree by the video depicting heterosexual sexual behavior and by the video showing two women engaged in sexual behavior. The only significant difference in degree of arousal between the two groups occurred when they viewed the video depicting male homosexual sex: "The homophobic men showed a significant increase in penile circumference to the male homosexual video, but the control [non-homophobic] men did not."

Broken down further, the measurements showed that while 66% of the non-homophobic group showed no significant tumescence while watching the male homosexual video, only 20% of the homophobic men showed little or no evidence of arousal. Similarly, while 24% of the non-homophobic men showed definite tumescence while watching the homosexual video, 54% of the homophobic men did.

When asked to give their own subjective assessment of the degree to which they were aroused by watching each of the three videos, men in both groups gave answers that tracked fairly closely with the results of the objective physiological measurement, with one exception: the homophobic men significantly underestimated their degree of arousal by the male homosexual video.

Do these findings mean, then, that homophobia in men is a reaction to repressed homosexual urges, as psychoanalysis theorizes? While their findings are consistent with that theory, the authors note that there is another, competing theoretical explanation: anxiety. According to this theory, viewing the male homosexual videotape may have caused negative emotions (such as anxiety) in the homophobic men, but not in the non-homophobic men. As the authors note, "anxiety has been shown to enhance arousal and erection," and so it is also possible that "a response to homosexual stimuli [in these men] is a function of the threat condition rather than sexual arousal per se. These competing notions can and should be evaluated by future research."

Reference:

Is Homophobia Associated With Homosexual Arousal? by Henry E. Adams, Ph.D., Lester W. Wright, Jr., Ph.D. and Bethany A. Lohr, in Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Vol. 105, No. 3, pp 440-445.



Wow,

even getting beyond the challenge of understanding the science and language, I think I understand the basic conclusions!

Kimbowa has already declared this a plot against him. Once I asked Ssempa about the APA official view on homosexuality. His answer, which is somewhere on this blog, I believe, was that they are all covert homosexuals. All!

Is Ssempa a homosexual? Like Larry Craig, the US Senator is? A homosexual but not gay? Interesting theory, isnt it?


gug

19 comments:

Princess said...

I can't wait to hear Kimbowa's reaction to this one. :D [evil grin]

Anonymous said...

Well gug, you know my views on this already. I don't know ssempa but if a guy expresses undue interest in my sexual proclivities overmuch you can't blame me for thinking closet case!

DeTamble said...

*creeps up behind GUG and launches into him, pulling him viciously away from the computer and onto the floor*

I'll teach you not to look out for me! Quick Sis! The bucket!!!

Princess said...

*Pours bucket's contents over GUG's head.
Satisfying welching sound coupled with groans...

DeTamble said...

*places knee on precious and loveable brothers throat and maliciously kneads mud into his shirt*

Princess said...

AARGHH! Comments going to wrong ad...
*Is bro actually enjoyimg this muddy treatment?

Princess said...

*enjoying

DeTamble said...

*rubs a little mud into his ears*
No idea. He can't speak with all that mud in his mouth. But I sure am! :-D

Nicholas Kimbowa said...

I guess your wait to hear from me was not very long.
As for APA, we know what it did when it declared that homosexuality is not a disorder. So we all know that APA is an agent of perversion. You and me know that homosexuality is indeed a disorder.
I do not mind anyone insinuating what i feel, that my opposition to homosexuality means that am a homosexual. Does that mean that the 95% ugandans who oppose homosexuality are indeed homosexuals? you who is not among the 95% are not a homosexual?
My opposition to homosexuality has nothing to do with my "sex orientation". Are you saying that I get sexual arousal by typing this?
Even if I were to have same sex feelings, I would not practice homosexuality because I know it is a disorder and it is wrong. I would seek help.

Anonymous said...

Kimbowa, if you didn't have same sex feelings, you would act like most other truly heterosexual people, ignore homosexuals, and get on with your life. Your obsession with homosexuals and homosexuality indicates that homosexuality occupies a considerably significant portion of your mind and your thoughts. And because you cannot accept it and are in denial, you're struggling against your feelings. You, as well as people like Ssempa and others like you, feel a desperate need to prove to yourselves that you have rejected your homosexual feelings. It is desperation that leads you to do what your'e doing.

You're not doing yourself any good by trying so hard to fight against something over which you have no control. I agree, you do not have to act on your feelings, but the path to peace of mind is to accept the feelings that you have, even if you don't act on them.

gayuganda said...

Hi Kimbowa,

no, you have not failed to deliver. I admire you.

Let me try to pick apart the logic of what you have written. It is very interesting.

As for APA, we know what it did when it declared that homosexuality is not a disorder. So we all know that APA is an agent of perversion.
Beautiful, isnt it? The organisation you have so dismissed is the largest association of Psychiatrist and Psychologists workers in the whole world. Because they happen not to share your faith in 'Homosexuality is evil', they become nothing. A sort of cult. A pervesion! Wow, you are fantastic!

You and me know that homosexuality is indeed a disorder.
Sorry, but if you had said Kimbowa and David-Nicholas know that homosexuality is a disorder, or Kimbowa and Ssempa, it would have been less of a lie. In fact it would have been the truth. Last that I heard, the World Health Organisation says Homosexuality is not a disorder. But then, the WHO is an agent of perversion also, isnt it?

I do not mind anyone insinuating what i feel, that my opposition to homosexuality means that am a homosexual.

Ugggh,
I think it was more than an insinuation. Someone got homophobes and studied them under the same condition as non-homophobes, and they came up with their conclusion. If course we do not know much about you, except your raging homophobia, and the fact that you talk about the love of Christ and show the hate of homosexuals.

Does that mean that the 95% ugandans who oppose homosexuality are indeed homosexuals? you who is not among the 95% are not a homosexual?
More fantastic reasoning. Opposing homosexuality is very different from homophobia. On the post is a very nice definition of homophobia. I guess I must say that the 95% of Ugandans that you are talking about are not homophobes. They do oppose homosexuality. But I bet you, when it comes to throwing stones at me, most of them will not. Ssempa and Kimbowa will throw those stones!

My opposition to homosexuality has nothing to do with my "sex orientation". Are you saying that I get sexual arousal by typing this?
Even if I were to have same sex feelings, I would not practice homosexuality because I know it is a disorder and it is wrong. I would seek help.

Poor you. I said I was feeling pity for you. I just have to. I have never seen a person try to justify hate so much, so consistently.

Look Kimbowa, I am quite willing to continue this discussion for eons. But I am getting a bit down when you come up with non-sensical logic to support your views.

You hate. Rabidly. You do not need any reason to justify your hate. And you are not going to convince anyone here of the depth of your love.

It would be more fun if you realy read about what homosexual people are about, than coming frothing at the mouth with hate. It looks ugly, and you are not doing yourself a favor. And you are embarassing Christians here.

So, for goodness's sake, stop it.

Just like you stopped telling me that you love me.

We can discuss without you having to throw hate at us. That, even between enemies, is much more appealing.

gug

Princess said...

@ David: to what end is this constant quibbling over laws? You have obviously failed to reach an agreement with GUG.Your thoughts and beliefs hit a deadly impasse eons ago! So, I ask you, what is your purpose?

DeTamble said...

@Princess: What are you doing here?

Princess said...

@ DeT:I had to pick up a few things from work...

DeTamble said...

Oh I see...Well well well. Aren't we precious. And to save my self some money, I'll post about Ginger soonish. And Tapiwa is fine. We're both in the middle of a hellish exam block :-|

Princess said...

Your exams are still on? I thought you were through! Well, good luck!

DeTamble said...

No! I'm not done :'( Waaaaah!
Got a three hour essay exam on Communism and Marxism and 'The State' and still have one more assignment due and it's a killer to write, my head feels like it's got cement in it! I hate being sick :-(

Princess said...

Maybe we ought to scuttle this conversation over to messenger... :)

DeTamble said...

Well I'm already online (when am I not?) :P

Where 4 art thou?

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