Cambodia

Christian Tolentino
English III
Ms. Locklear
February 9, 2010
The Origins of Sexual Orientation
Even if sexual orientation is a trait we are born with, known as nature, or is caused by the environment we are raised in, known as nurture, has been angrily argued by elected officials, religious leaders, scientists, and the general public. Proponents feel that sexual orientation is determined naturally by genes or hormones, and most believe that it can not be changed. However, opponents claims that homosexuality is a lifestyle choice developing from weak child-parent relationships, being a victim of sexual abuse, or other educational causes.
Sigmund Freud, the famous psychoanalyst, believed that gay men were the result of overbearing mothers and weak fathers. Some people think that gay parents will raise gay kids. Others claim that letting children be occupied with non-traditional gender activities, such as boys playing with dolls, will make them gay.
A good relationship with the same-sex parent meets a child's psychological needs “love, worth and affirmations as a boy or a girl.” Where there is a lack of acknowledgment and denial, these accepted needs are not met. If a girl's femininity is denied, she may come to think that she is not accepted to her mother and for that reason to women in general. In an effort to fill the hole in her heart, she may look to other women for acceptance, possibly even hoping “at a subconscious level” to gain femininity by friendship. Puberty later arouses these emotional needs, increasing a sexual range.
One psychoanalytic hypothesis for the connection between poor early father-son relationship and homosexuality is that during the urgently important gender-identity stage of {text:soft-page-break} growth, the boy notices the father as rejecting. As a result, he grows up failing to fully identify with his father and the masculinity he represents. This is the most common origin of these emotional weaknesses in men... [continues]

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