A war against the natural order: Joseph Nicolosi, Reparative Therapy, and the Christian Right.

IF 1.1 4区 心理学 Q1 HISTORY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
History of Psychology Pub Date : 2024-02-01 Epub Date: 2023-09-04 DOI:10.1037/hop0000159
Chris Babits
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Abstract

This article situates Joseph Nicolosi's first book, Reparative Therapy of Male Homosexuality, in historical context. Nicolosi, a Catholic clinical psychologist, was one of the most vocal practitioners of sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE) from the early 1990s until his death in 2017, and in these decades, the Christian Right became a key supporter of SOCE. In this article, I argue that two features of Nicolosi's book appealed to the Christian Right. First, Nicolosi relied on psychoanalytic thought to pathologize not only same-sex sexual desires but also poor parenting. The use of psychoanalytic thought was of particular interest to conservative Christians who believed that American fathers had forfeited their role as strong patriarchs. Second, Nicolosi's approach to therapy, which included changing one's dress and mannerisms and assertiveness training, stressed that same-sex desires could be eliminated through behavioral reconditioning. Nicolosi's psychological eclecticism, a common feature for mental health practitioners at the end of the twentieth century, has not been emphasized in prior scholarship on reparative therapy. Importantly, the psychological eclecticism practiced by Nicolosi became common within the Christian Right after the publication of Reparative Therapy of Male Homosexuality. By offering a close reading of Reparative Therapy of Male Homosexuality, this article demonstrates the interrelationship between one of the core texts of the ex-gay movement and the psychological and religious thought of the Christian Right at the turn of the twenty-first century. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

一场对抗自然秩序的战争约瑟夫-尼科洛西、恢复性疗法和基督教右翼。
本文将约瑟夫-尼科洛西的第一本书《男性同性恋的修复疗法》置于历史背景下进行分析。尼科洛西是一名天主教临床心理学家,从20世纪90年代初到2017年去世,他一直是性取向改变工作(SOCE)最积极的实践者之一,而在这几十年间,基督教右翼成为了SOCE的主要支持者。在本文中,我认为尼科洛西的书有两个特点吸引了基督教右翼。首先,尼科洛西依靠精神分析思想不仅将同性的性欲望病态化,还将糟糕的养育方式病态化。保守派基督徒对精神分析思想的使用特别感兴趣,他们认为美国的父亲们已经放弃了他们作为强有力的家长的角色。其次,尼科洛西的治疗方法包括改变着装和举止以及自信训练,强调同性欲望可以通过行为调节来消除。尼科洛西的心理学折衷主义是二十世纪末心理健康从业者的共同特点,但在以往有关修复疗法的学术研究中并未得到强调。重要的是,在《男性同性恋的修复疗法》出版后,尼科洛西所奉行的心理学折衷主义在基督教右派中变得十分普遍。通过细读《男性同性恋的修复疗法》,本文展示了 21 世纪之交同性恋运动的核心文本之一与基督教右翼的心理学和宗教思想之间的相互关系。(PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA,保留所有权利)。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
1.40
自引率
20.00%
发文量
23
期刊介绍: History of Psychology features refereed articles addressing all aspects of psychology"s past and of its interrelationship with the many contexts within which it has emerged and has been practiced. It also publishes scholarly work in closely related areas, such as historical psychology (the history of consciousness and behavior), psychohistory, theory in psychology as it pertains to history, historiography, biography and autobiography, and the teaching of the history of psychology.
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