PSYCHOANALYSIS, PSYCHOBIOLOGY, AND HOMOSEXUALITY

The potential role of biological influences in human sexual orientatio n was considered more seriously during the early phases of psychoanaly sis than in the years since World War II. Recently studies of homosexu ality and heterosexuality in the neurosciences have attracted widespre ad attention both in the scientific and lay communities. The salience of these new data for psychoanalytic theory and practice is just begin ning to be explored. In this article, we review research on sexual ori entation in the following areas: genetics, crosscultural studies, stud ies of development in individuals with abnormal prenatal hormone expos ure, childhood play patterns, and brain studies in both nonhumans and humans. Differences between male and female homosexuality are explored . We propose that psychoanalytic theory can grow and profit from a car eful consideration of new findings in the psychobiology of sexuality, and that the interaction between mind and body is the appropriate purv iew of psychoanalysis.