Latent homosexuality: Paranoid delusions Rage and anxiety

The discussion of latent homosexuality came into the public arena when the July 26 edition of MSNBC touted Ann Coulter’s interview with host Donny Deutsch, who said that former President Bill Clinton exhibits “some kind of latent homosexuality.” When the host asked Coulter if she was really calling Clinton a “latent homosexual,” Coulter replied, “Yes.” “Clinton’s level of rampant promiscuity shows a certain level of latent homosexuality.” In support of her assessment of Clinton, Coulter cited “passages” that she had memorized from the Starr Report as a result of the investigation of the Monica Lewinsky controversy.

latent homosexuality It is an erotic tendency towards members of the same sex that is not consciously experienced or expressed in overt actions. The term was originally proposed by Sigmund Freud. According to Freud, the “latent” or “unconscious” homosexuality that derives from the failure of the defense of repression and sublimation allows or threatens the appearance in consciousness of homosexual impulses, which give rise to a conflict that manifests itself in the appearance of symptom. These symptoms include fear of being homosexual, dreams with overt and “latent” homosexual content, conscious homosexual fantasies and impulses, gay Panic, impaired heterosexual functioning, and passive-submissive responses to other males.

The Freudian position on latent homosexuality is summed up in this quote from Karl Abraham: “In normal individuals, the homosexual component of the sexual instinct undergoes a sublimation. Among men, feelings of unity and friendship are stripped of all sexuality. by any physical contact that implies tenderness with another of the same sex… Alcohol suspends these feelings. When drinking, men hug each other and kiss…when sober, men themselves call such behavior effeminate…Homosexual components that have been repressed and sublimated by the influences of upbringing become unmistakably evident under the influence of alcohol.

According to this train of thought, it is not unusual for people who exhibit characteristics of latent homosexuality to often be attracted to ultra-masculine professions, such as police and firefighters; to name a few. Many professional sports also serve as magnets for latent homosexuals, especially the more violent and aggressive sports. In both sports, boxing and wrestling, latent homosexuality is quite evident. And where many of the characteristics that intervene in the sexual act between two lovers are present in the ring. For example, in both boxing and wrestling, the participant hugs, caresses, caresses the sweaty, scantily covered body of the opponent like any couple engaged in sexual activity. Many psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapists theorize that both the boxer and the wrestler experience deep rage and guilt for their exhibitionistic behavior and for giving in to their homosexual desires. Therefore, each participant is highly motivated to punish each other, sometimes with death, for satisfying the unconscious homosexual desire to embrace and make love to another man.

However, the term latent homosexuality, as it is commonly used in clinical practice, assumes psychological characteristics. It is important to emphasize that the term is not used in reference to the manifest homosexual who tries to suppress his homosexuality and tries to lead a heterosexual life, it applies only to heterosexuals. Many writers and some researchers have questioned the validity of latent homosexuality both theoretically and clinically. Others have expressed the view that latent homosexuality has been a convenient “wild card” psychopathological category in which many types of pathology are assigned, often with little or no relation to homosexuality.

Many of those who questioned the term “latent homosexuality” were skeptical about the concept of “latency.” In an effort to put an end to this concern, a group of scientific researchers headed by Irving Bieber published their conclusion in 1963 entitled; Homosexuality. A Psychoanalytic Study: By Irving Bieber, et al. This study was very large and extensive. Bieber and his associates proved beyond doubt that the concept of “latency” was an appropriate criterion by which latent homosexuality is usually diagnosed.

Yet more than four decades after the Bieber study was published, skepticism about the infamy of latent homosexuality is generating lively discussion in the public arena. The gladiators at the Freudian gate must know that help is on the way. A modern version of Bieber and associates in the form of three psychologists: HE Adams, LW Wright, Jr., and BA Lohr, who conducted an experiment to test Freud’s hypothesis. The conclusion was published in Journal of Abnormal Psychology 105 (1996), under the title, “Is homophobia associated with homosexual arousal?” The finding of this study concluded that those who exhibited the most hostile and negative attitudes toward homosexuals demonstrated the highest level of sexual arousal when exposed to homosexual pornography. In other words, their homophobia was a “reaction formation” designed to protect them from their own internal homosexual desires.

paranoid delusions Since the publication of Freud’s analysis of the Schreber case in 1911, psychotherapists and psychoanalysts have accepted the theory that there is a strong connection between latent homosexuality and paranoid delusions. Freud provided a skilful exposition of the theory that paranoid delusions represent various means by which the paranoid individual denies his or her latent homosexual desires. Freud’s theory had been repeatedly confirmed in many clinical studies by all the researchers who worked with paranoid clients. Intense homosexual conflict is always present in the paranoid male and is clearly evident in the individual’s history and clinical material early in the disease.

homophobia

Hostility and discrimination against homosexual people are well-documented facts. Too often, these negative attitudes end in acts of verbal and physical violence against homosexual people. In fact, more than 90% of gay men and lesbians report being subjected to verbal abuse and threats, and more than a third are survivors of violent attacks related to their homosexuality. These attitudes and behaviors towards homosexuals are labeled homophobia. Homophobia is defined as the terror of being in close quarters with gay men and women, and an irrational fear, hatred and intolerance on the part of heterosexual individuals towards gay men and lesbians.

Psychoanalysts use the concept of repressed or latent homosexuality explain the emotional distress and irrational attitudes exhibited by individuals who feel guilty about their erotic interests and struggle to deny and repress homosexual impulses. In fact, when these individuals find themselves in a situation that threatens to excite their own unwanted homosexual thoughts, they may overreact with panic, anger, or even murderous rage. To better understand this rage, he directs the reader to what happened in Jenny Jones to show. On March 6, 1995, Scott Amedure (who is openly gay) appeared with Jonathan Schmitz on the Jenny Jones talk show. Amedure revealed that he had a secret affection for Schmitz. Schmitz was not flattered, but embarrassed and humiliated; off-camera, Schmitz expressed anger and rage. Three days after the show, Schmitz bought a shotgun. He drove to Amedure’s trailer and shot him twice in the heart, killing him.

Most researchers agree that anxiety about homosexuality does not generally occur in people who are same-sex oriented, but rather typically involves people who are apparently heterosexual and have difficulty accepting their homosexual feelings and impulses.

Adams, HE, Wright, LW, and Lohr, BA, Is homophobia associated with homosexual arousal?” Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 105 (1996): 440-445.

Bieber, Irving and others. Homosexuality: A Psychoanalytic Study: Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 32: 111-114.