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Does Homophobia in Straight Homophobic Men Stem from Arousal or Anxiety?
by Henry E. Adams, Ph.D., Lester W. Wright, Jr., Ph.D. &
Bethany A. Lohr
Psychoanalytic theory holds that homophobia - the fear, anxiety, anger, discomfort and aversion that some heterosexual people hold for gay individuals - is the result of repressed homosexual urges that the person is either unaware or denies. A study provides 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 materials consisting of heterosexual, male homosexual and lesbian videotapes. Their degree of sexual arousal was measured by penile plethysmography, which precisely measures and records male erections.
Men in both groups were aroused by about the same degree by a video depicting heterosexual sexual behavior and by a video showing two women engaged in sexual behavior. The only significant difference in degree of arousal between the two groups occurred when they viewed a video depicting male homosexual sex: "The homophobic men showed a significant increase in penile circumference to the male homosexual video, but the non-homophobic men did not."
While their findings are consistent with the theory on homophobia, the authors note that there is another competing theoretical explanation: anxiety.
As the authors note, "anxiety has been shown to enhance arousal and erection" 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."
The psychoanalytic theory about homophobic men being tooted in repressed homesexuality has been around for decades. It will be fascinating to see how this research develops.
Reference:
"Is Homophobia Associated With Homosexual Arousal?" by Henry E. Adams, Ph.D., Lester W. Wright, Jr., Ph.D. & Bethany A. Lohr, in Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Vol. 105, No. 3, pp 440-445.
This information received from the American Psychological Association (APA), in Washington, DC.
Revised 10/25/08 by Marlene M. Maheu, Ph.D.
Since phobia is based on fear, anxiety, discomfort, and aversion (and I would add sometimes manifested in hatred)I don't think a study of this sort is needed to prove this, in regards to some individuals- it is obvious. However it must be stressed all heterosexuals do not have homophobia and many just don't see homosexuality as a normal thing (if I'm allowed to use the word normal(seems to be passe).
Either way people have different takes on sexuality and I must add while these studies may have some value (I hope), I don't think all people according to what I'm presenting here who are anxious toward gays are homophobic per se. It has more to do with their own personal psychology and when it comes to individuals it differs accordingly. I hope I added something to the discussion.