"essentially disagreeable neople." From these few cases he generalizes that all homosexuals are unreliable, ungrateful, malicious, cynical, supercilious,

"actual or potential" parasites and trouble-makers; universally they refuse to accept moral standards even in non-sexual spheres; they are to be found in unusually large numbers "among swindlers, pathological liars, forgers, lawbreakers of all sorts, drug purveyors, gamblers, spies, pimps, and brothel owners."

ctual unstable, unable to stick to a job; without exception they are

One may observe that Dr. Bergler seems to have been almost unbelievably unlucky in the homosexuals he has known. One may also observe that there are sufficient sick and psychopathic homosexuals to make superficially plausible the argument that all homosexuals are sick and psychopathic.

But how can Dr. Bergler know? Certainly, if he is right that a distorted personality is the universal and inevitable concomitant of the disease of homosexuality, he is only doing his duty when he proposes that books and plays reflecting "the homosexual's outlook on life" be labelled as subversive of established values in somewhat the same manner as some libraries label communistic literature.

The part that a hostile society may have played in distorting the personalities of many homosexuals is almost ignored by Dr. Bergler. This disregard for the reality of the conditions under which homosexuals are compelled to live may have led him to an even more fundamental error., He observes from his cases that homosexuals are constantly getting into trouble--indeed, most of his patients come to him for that very reason. From this he deduces that all homosexuals are constantly getting into trouble. For example, when a homosexual goes cruising, he runs the risk of being arrested, blackmailed or beaten un. Therefore, homosexuals want to be hurt, humiliated, defeated and destroyed; they are all psychic masochists.

Other analysts, Reik for example, have noted the presence of masochistic qualities in many homosexuals. But Dr. Bergler is unique as far as I am aware in seeing in psychic masochism the primary cause of homosexuality--or to put it the way he would prefer: homosexual behavior is nothing One more than a particular defense which some psychic masochists adopt. is almost tempted to say that Dr. Bergler arrives at this view because he wants to do so, because it fits homosexuality into his general theory of neurosis. That theory contends that psychic masochism is the basic neurosis, that all neurotics are first of all psychic masochists, that the diffenent forms of neurosis are merely elaborations of the fundamental masochism. In his earlier book, THE BASIC NEUROSIS (Grune & Stratton, New York, 1949), he has described 27 such elaborations including homosexuality.

What then is the process by which a homosexual is made? For the future homosexual as for every child the all-immortant relationship which shapes his life is the first one: the relationship between the baby and his mother. The baby's illusion of omnipotence is in constant conflict with infantile reality--his complete dependence on his mother. Moreover, she is constantly disappointing him; for example, his bottle may arrive a minute or two after he starts yelling for it. He even fears his mother may be trying to starve him. This fear of starvation is possibly the most important of a "septet of baby fears" (Dr. Bergler loves sextets and septets and is especially enamored of triads). The combination of fury and fear makes life unbearable for the infant. The baby's solution is to learn to like displeasure, to find pleasure in dispealsure.

All children have a dose of this psychic masochism; the neurotic has an overdose. The baby who becomes a neurotic was 'hurt more in his conflict with infantile reality; he does not get over his wounds. He goes through life replaying the old scenes of infancy, unconsciously provoking mattaching REVIEW

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