Homosexuality Understanding the Psychology of Thesis

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d., para. 8). While homosexuality is not the primary focus of a person's identity that counselors fixate on during these sessions, it is important that counselors take the fact that their client is a homosexual into consideration. By doing this, the counselor can determine whether or not there may be issues associated with their sexual orientation or coming out process that may be affecting other areas of their lives.

Thus, the association between psychology and homosexuality began tumultuous, but has progressed to an era where psychology helps homosexuals understand their position in society and the feelings that they are having regarding their sexual orientation. What many psychologists once considered a disease is now considered to be normal, and psychologists are even at the forefront of normalizing the behavior. Today, psychologists play an important role in helping homosexuals, a role that each person undergoing the "coming out" process should take advantage of. Because psychologists have undertaken this progressive stance on the issue of homosexuality, they are being able to help more people than ever before, allowing others to accept themselves for who they are. Still, the existence of psychologists who believe homosexuality can be treated are important if only for diversity's sake. Because homosexuality is an issue that has a great deal of significance in the political and religious worlds, an issue whose origins science still cannot define, allowing these organizations to operate is an expression of freedom, and should be viewed as such.

Indeed, understanding the question of where homosexuality comes from will further allow psychology to address the specific needs of homosexual clients who come to them for therapy. While science is closer than ever to answer the question, they have not yet done so. Currently, examining twins is becoming useful in determining the origins of sexual identity. In 2007, researchers began looking at twins to answer the question of a genetic origin of homosexuality by looking at blood and saliva samples of brothers and parents. Because studies have shown that certain families tend to have more incidents of homosexuality among them, some believe that finding a gene responsible for homosexuality may be possible, but previous research regarding identical twins and sexual orientation had not produced conclusive results ("Gay Brothers," 2007, para. 5-8). Still, some studies involving identical twins have shown that one twin's sexuality can be a fairly accurate prediction of the other's. While researchers do not believe that a single gene causes homosexual orientation, Dr. Alan Sanders, a psychiatrist, suggests that "there are several genes that interact with nongenetic factors, including psychological and social influences, to determine sexual orientation" ("Gay Brothers," 2007, paras.

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9-12). If this study, or others like it that are being undertaken across the United States, can be proven conclusively, it is likely that the attitude toward homosexuality may change once and for all. One of the homosexual members of the current study articulated these results saying, "If fresh evidence is found suggesting genes are involved, perhaps homosexuality will be viewed as no different than other genetic traits like height and hair color" ("Gay Brothers," 2007, para. 3). Because genetics and psychology have long worked together in order to produce the best results to benefit clients, discovering a genetic makeup for homosexual can also be of great benefit to the psychological aspect of homosexuality. Knowing the origins of a person's sexual identity can help all humans come to a better understanding of what makes them who they are.

Thus, homosexuality is an issue that has affected many areas of study across the world, and is a reality of many people's lives. With political, social, anthropological, and biological implications, the study of homosexuality has been profoundly implicated by psychology. In order to understand homosexuality, one must understand the psychology behind it. One must understand a psychology that deemed homosexuality to be a disease and the struggle that proponents of homosexuality had in trying to convince other scholars that this was not so. One must also understand the evolution from this psychology that condemned homosexuality to a homosexuality that, today, accepts almost without question that homosexuality is simply a characteristic of one's character. Finally, one must understand how one's own views are affected, challenged, or supported by the psychological views of homosexuality. What can be best learned by examining the psychology of homosexuality is the way that society changes science. In the future, psychology may adopt different views of homosexuality, which can challenge social views as well. When one comes to an understanding of these things, then understanding homosexuality is much easier for everyone, even those who do not believe that homosexuality is a normal part of many societies. Thus, through an understanding of the history of homosexuality and psychology, the link between homosexuality and psychology today, and the possible genetic origins of homosexuality, one can have a better understanding of homosexuality and the psychology behind it.

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