The Association of American Psychologists (APA) and homosexuality
Translation* of "ANSWERS TO Your Questions About Sexual Orientation and Homosexuality"Of theAssociation of American psychologists (APA)
The association of American psychologists (APA) is a scientific and professional organization that represents psychology in the United States. With 148,000 members the APA is the largest association of psychologists in the world. We finally publish this interesting document of his document in which the APA wanted to answer some of the most common questions "about sexual orientation and homosexuality" in light of the latest acquisitions of psychology.
What is sexual orientation?
Sexual orientation is a stable emotional, romantic or emotional attraction towards another person. It differs from the other components of sexuality, that is, from biological sex, from gender identity (the psychological sense of being male and female) and by the role of social gender (adherence to cultural rules for female and male behavior). Sexual orientation exists along a continuum that ranges from exclusive homosexuality to exclusive heterosexuality and includes various forms of bisexuality.
Bisexual people can experience sexual, emotional and emotional attraction both for people of their sex and for people of the opposite sex. Sometimes people refer to people with a homosexual orientation by calling them gay (both of men and women) or lesbian (only woman).
Sexual orientation is different from sexual behavior because it refers to feelings and the concept of self. People can express or not express their sexual orientation in behavior.
What determines a particular sexual orientation of the person?
There are numerous theories about the origins of the person's sexual orientation; Most scientists today agree that sexual orientation is more likely the result of a complex interaction of environmental, cognitive and biological factors.
In most people, the sexual orientation of shape as children. There is also a considerable recent evidence that suggests that biology, including genetic factors or congenital hormonal factors, play a significant role in the sexuality of the person.
In conclusion, it is important to recognize that there are probably many reasons that determine the person's sexual orientation and the reasons can be different from person to person.
Is sexual orientation a choice?
No. Human beings do not choose whether to be gay or straight. Sexual orientation emerges for most people in the first adolescence without any previous sexual experience. Although you can choose whether to act on your feelings, psychologists do not consider sexual orientation a conscious choice that can be voluntarily changed.
Can therapy change sexual orientation?
No. Even if most homosexuals live a success of success, happy, some homosexuals or bisexuals try to change their sexual orientation through therapy, sometimes under the pressure and influence of family members or religious groups.
The reality is that homosexuality is not a disease .. it does not require treatment and cannot be changed. However, not all gays, lesbians and bisexuals who seek assistance from mental health professionals want to change their sexual orientation.
Gay, lesbians and bisexuals can ask psychological help in the field of coming out and to find comparison strategies with prejudice, but most of them go to therapy for the same reasons and problems of life that bring heterosexuals from mental health professionals.
What can be said about the so -called "conversion therapies"?
Some therapists who undertake the so -called conversion therapies say that they have been able to change the sexual orientation of their customers from homosexual to heterosexual. A careful analysis of these reports, however, shows several factors that throw doubts about their assertions.
For example, most of these statements come from organizations with an ideological perspective that condemns homosexuality. In addition, their statements are not very documented. For example, the result of the treatment is not followed and reported later as the standard should be to test the validity of any mental health intervention.
The American psychological association is worried about therapies like these and their potential damage to patients. In 1997, the Council of the Association approved a resolution by reaffirming the opposition of psychology to homophobia in the treatment and clearly explaining the customer's right to a treatment without prejudice and self -determination.
Any person who enters therapy to face the problems of sexual orientation has the right to expect that therapy will take place in a professionally neutral environment in the absence of any social prejudice.
Is homosexuality a mental illness or an emotional problem?
No. Psychologists, psychiatrists and other mental health professionals agree that homosexuality is not a disease, it is not a mental disorder or an emotional problem. Over 35 years of objective and methodological scientific research have shown that homosexuality, in itself, is not associated with mental or emotional disorders or social problems. Homosexuality was once understood as mental illness because mental health professionals and society had partial information.
In the past, studies on gays, lesbians and bisexuals involved only those who were on therapy, thus compromising the resulting conclusions. When the researchers examined information about people who were not on therapy, the idea that homosexuality was a mental illness was quickly falsified.
In 1973, the American psychiatric association confirmed the importance of a new, better designed research and removed homosexuality from the official manual that lists mental and emotional disorders. Two years later, the American psychological association approved a resolution that supported removal.
For over 25 years, both associations have recommended to all mental health professionals to help correct the prejudice of mental illness that some people still associate with homosexual orientation.
Can lesbians, gays and bisexuals be good parents?
Yes. Studies who compare groups of children raised by homosexual parents and heterosexual parents find no difference in the development between the two groups of children in four critical areas: their intelligence, psychological adaptation, social adaptation and the ability to make friends. It is also important to know that the sexual orientation of a parent does not determine that of the child.
Another myth on homosexuality is the incorrect belief that gays have a higher tendency he heterosexual to harass children. There is no evidence that suggests that homosexuals are more likely to heterosexuals to harass children.
Why do some gays, some lesbians and some bisexuals tell others of their sexual orientation?
Because sharing that aspect of themselves with others is important for their mental health. In fact, the identity development process for lesbians, gay and bisexuals called "coming out" proves to be strongly connected to the psychological adaptation - the more positive is the identity of gay, lesbian and bisexual, the better the mental health of the person and the higher the self -esteem will be.
Why is the "coming out" process difficult for some gays, lesbians and bisexuals?
For some gays, lesbians, bisexuals, the coming out process is different, for others it is not. Often lesbians, gays and bisexuals feel frightened, different and alone when for the first time they understand that their sexual orientation is different from the norm.
This is particularly true for people who become aware of their sexual orientation or adolescents, who is not uncommon. And, based on their families and the environment in which they live, they can have to fight against prejudice and disinformation about homosexuality. Children and adolescents can be particularly vulnerable to the deleterious effects of prejudice and stereotypes.
They can also fear of being rejected by family, friends, colleagues and religious institutions. Some gays must worry not to lose their work or not to be harassed at school if their sexual orientation becomes in the public domain. Unfortunately, gay, lesbians and bisexuals are higher risk of physical violence than heterosexuals.
Studies made in California in the mid -nineties showed that almost a fifth of all the lesbians who took part in the study and more than a quarter of all the gays who participated were victims of hatred crimes based on their sexual orientation.
In another study conducted in California among about 500 young adults, half of all young participants in the study admitted some form of anti-gay aggression from verbal injury to physical violence.
What can be done to win prejudice and discrimination towards gays, lesbians and bisexuals?
The research showed that people who have more positive attitudes towards gays, lesbians and bisexuals are those who say they know one or more gay, lesbians or bisexuals well - it is a friend or colleague.
For this reason, psychologists believe that negative attitudes to gays as a group of people are prejudices that are not based on effective experience but are based on stereotypes.
Moreover, protection against violence and discrimination is very important, as for other minorities. Some states include violence against people based on their sexual orientation among "hatred crimes" and 10 US states have laws against sexual orientation based on discrimination.
Why is better education on homosexuality for society?
Educating all people on sexual orientation and homosexuality means decreasing anti-gay prejudice.
Careful information about homosexuality is especially important for young people who are discovering for the first time and are trying to understand their sexuality - if they are homosexual, bisexual or heterosexual.
The fears that access to this information will make more gay people are not valid - information about homosexuality does not make someone gay or straight.
Are all gays and bisexuals?
No. This is a commonplace. In reality, the risk of exposure to the HIV virus depends on the behavior of the person not on his sexual orientation. What is important to remember about AIDS is that a disease that can be prevented through the use of safe sex practices and avoiding the use of drugs.
To learn more (external site)
"ANSWERS TO Your Questions About Sexual Orientation and Homosexuality"(In English)
* Translated by Fabio as part of the initiative "Translators of ... good news"
