BOOKS & PUBLICATIONS

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Notices and reviews of books ticles, plays and poetry dealing with homosexuality and the sex variant. Readers are invited to send in reviews or printed matter for review.

HOMOSEXUALITY, Disease or Way of Life?

Hill & Wang, Inc., New York

1956

Edmund Bergler, M.D.

If, in reading this book, the homosexual can see through the disguise of the title into what Dr. Bergler is actually talking about, it can be of considerable value. Judged by the book, the title would better read, "MASOCHISM, Disease or Way of Life," since according to Dr. Bergler masochism (referred to by him as "unconscious psychic masochism") is the basis for homosexual symptoms. It lies at the bottom of the homosexual's dissatisfactions, and appears, therefore, to be the disease for which cure is desirable.

The basic assertion which Dr. Bergler seems to defend unequivocally, that unconscious psychic masochism ("masochism" = "desire for pain or suffering") is the exclusive basis for the homophile tendency is dealt with quite convincingly within the limits of his clinical data on which, as with any researcher, his definitions and conclusions must be based. However, generalizations from limited data (of which Dr. Bergler accuses Dr. Kinsey almost bitterly) is a trap into which Dr. Bergler himself appears to have fallen with a resounding crash.

The term "typical homosexual" occurs frequently throughout the book. Of the typical homosexual, we are told, (p. 18), ".. ... the hatred and scorn for women shown by the most violent heterosexual misogynist appears to be benevolence when compared with the contempt shown by the typical homosexual for his sexual partners." Again, (p. 20), "Homosexuals typically use the husband-wife camouflage .. The so-superficial feminine identification in the 'wife', promoted by the use of cosmetics, feminine attitudes, falsetto voice, feminine locutions, and so on, is a half-conscious smoke screen." In several places the typical male homosexual is represented as a fellatio-addict, totally unconcerned about any personal aspect of his sex partner beyond the male sex organ. This "typical" pattern, it is alleged, is based on a postOedipal preoccupation with his own sex organ as the sole symbol of counteraction for his passive, unconscious masochism, and that this attention is later transferred to the sex organs of other males as a "resubstitution" for the earlier attachment.

Apparently a favorite argument with Dr. Bergler in persuading homosexuals to undertake reorientation is (p. 65), that "homosexuality is always connected with severe self-damaging tendencies." The homosexual is told that he must change for his own safety. However, the damaging agencies turn out to be totally unconnected, except circumstantially, with homosexuality. On the same page, Dr. Bergler enumerates them as "jail, extortion, blackmail, pathologic jealousy, social ostracism . . ." Pathologic jealousy, we must remind ourselves, is by no means a monopoly of homosexuals; as for the others, they would not exist for the homosexual except for current social attitudes. Psychic masochism does, by definition, lead individuals into situations involving suffering and punishment whether the individual is homosexual or not. Thus, as it turns out, damages to the homosexual are neither selfinflicted by homosexuality per se (as the term " selfdamaging" implies), nor are they a necessary outcome of homosexual behavior.