Parents of Homosexuals—Not Guilty? Interpretation of Childhood Psychological Data

Data obtained in a study of 200 Dutch male homosexuals in treatment contradict the idea that parents are not causing homosexuality in their sons. Notably, the combination of overconcernedness of the mother and detachment and hypercriticism of the father push the boy into avoidance of “masculine” behavior, which in turn is leading to a feeling of inferiority because the boy considers himself as lacking in manliness. The homosexual urge is an expression of an infantile longing for acceptance to counteract the loneliness and self-pity of not belonging and must be seen as a specific neurotic manifestation.