THE HOMOSEXUAL AS A PERSONALITY TYPE
HERBERT GREENSPAN (M. C.), U. S. N. R., and
JOHN D. CAMPBELL (M. C.), U. S. N. R.
According to our conception of homosexuality, it is a relative condition, just as dextrocardia and blondness are relative. Consequently, in describing a peculiar personality deviation, to be known as the homosexual personality, we are cognizant of degrees of this condition, just as there are degrees of the psychopathic personality and schizoid personality. We are describing here, however, the typical homosexual personality, which we feel is a distinct entity and entitled to an independent position in the nomenclature. Any critic may respond, for instance, that he is acquainted with a confirmed homosexual who differs in some outstanding respects from the type we have described. Our reply is that we likewise have seen such cases, but we have also observed psychopaths and schizoid personalities who did not exactly fit the mold of the typical case. There is a wide range even in the normal, and certainly the same holds true for the personality type in question. It must be remembered that the term homosexual, unfortunately, has a loose, expansive application and has been used to designate the true homosexual herein described, the latent homosexual, the repressed homosexual and the sexual pervert. Hence, various authors attribute qualities to the homosexual that are inconsistent and the result is a crazy-quilt portrayal of what is essentially a well-defined subject.
We, therefore, conclude that homosexualism is not an acquired vice but a biological anomaly. The homosexual personality, like the boy with a Froelich's syndrome who is the victim of endocrine imbalance, is neither the result of bad environment nor an undue mother attachment. The true homosexual possesses certain identifying and consistent traits which clearly differentiate him from other personalities with which he has been classified.
Both the psychiatric and social status of the invert is becoming increasingly more clear with the advancement of clinical psychiatry, and it is encouraging to note that society is being weaned away from the fallacy that homosexualism is a crime. We are gradually coming to the realization that the homosexual suffers from a regrettable sexual anomaly, but otherwise is a normal, productive individual, who is neither a burden nor a detriment to society. We hope that the recognition of the true nature of his problem will lead to a more rational and practical therapeutic approach, and that a more humane, understanding attitude will result.
