Psychiatry, Psychology, and Homosexuality (Issues in Lesbian & Gay Life) [Paperback]

Ellen Herman (Author), Martin Duberman (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1995 | Series: Issues in Lesbian & Gay Life

A study on the impact of psychology on societal attitudes toward gays and lesbians compares historical practices that treated homosexuality as a pathological disease to more contemporary views that regard it as an alternative orientation.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 8^-12. This concisely written, well-researched volume looks at how psychologists and psychiatrists have viewed and view homosexuality. The unifying thread throughout the book is the search for what is "normal." After a general opening chapter, Herman traces social science's views of and teachings about homosexuality from the late nineteenth century to today. She relates information about the historical evolution of social scientists and their view of homosexuals against a backdrop of the changing views of society at large. For example, discussions of Oscar Wilde and homosexuals in World War II cover both popular culture and social science at two very different historical points. Herman discusses the theories, views, and work of such leading scientists as Sigmund Freud, Evelyn Hooker, Alfred Kinsey, and Masters and Johnson, showing the relationship between their work and the evolution of the gay liberation movement. Black-and-white photographs liberally illustrate the text. Students writing research papers will find this book useful. Charles Harmon --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Chelsea House Publications (April 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0791029778
• ISBN-13: 978-0791029770
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,252,347 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview of the history of homosexuality as a disease, May 7, 2006

By 

E. D. (Cambridge, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Psychiatry, Psychology, and Homosexuality (Issues in Lesbian & Gay Life) (Paperback)

Ellen Herman's book provides a fascinating history of the conception of homosexuality as a disease - from pre-Freudian days to homosexuality's inclusion and ultimate exclusion in the DSM to modern day attempts to "cure" homosexuality outside of psychiatry proper. Her style is fresh and interesting, and her history is sensitive toward those whose difficult history she describes.

My one concern is that she often refers to studies or quotes sources that she never cites, making this a difficult book to use a starting point for further research. For instance, on page 26, she writes that "doctors frequently wrote about their frustration that most homosexuals at the time had 'no occasion to go to a physician; they enjoy their abnormal life.'" However, the quotation she uses is never attributed to anyone, nor is her source mentioned. This book is therefore best for people interested in the topic personally rather than academically.