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Theoretical considerations on penile plethysmography usage in research on internalized homophobia
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Abstract
Internalized homophobia is a disorder consisting in the manifestation of anti-social prejudices directed at homosexual
persons with the simultaneous presence of one’s own, unacceptable and suppressed homosexuality.
Falloplethysmography (measurement of volumetric changes in an organ) is a study that was surprisingly
used as early as 1996 to verify theories explaining homophobia, one’s own unacceptable homosexuality. Its
results confirmed that the majority of homophobic people were in a state of internal conflict between feeling
sexual attraction towards people of the same sex and displacing it.
The work is theoretical, it is a review of the present research and shows a possible direction for the development
of research on internalized homophobia with the use of phalloplethysmography.
Internalized homophobia has a negative impact on the mental health (anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts)
of LGBT + people, it also implies a number of other social problems, e.g. risky sexual behavior, which
increased risk of HIV infection. In the psychoanalytical sense, homophobia is a phenomenon of a fearful nature, namely the fear of being considered homosexual. Penile phalloplethysmography (PPG), mainly
used in the field of research on sexual offenders, may also be used in the study of internalized homophobia.
The literature on the subject emphasizes the legitimacy of taking into account individual psychological and
social factors in research with the use of PPG.
Abstract
Internalized homophobia is a disorder consisting in the manifestation of anti-social prejudices directed at homosexual
persons with the simultaneous presence of one’s own, unacceptable and suppressed homosexuality.
Falloplethysmography (measurement of volumetric changes in an organ) is a study that was surprisingly
used as early as 1996 to verify theories explaining homophobia, one’s own unacceptable homosexuality. Its
results confirmed that the majority of homophobic people were in a state of internal conflict between feeling
sexual attraction towards people of the same sex and displacing it.
The work is theoretical, it is a review of the present research and shows a possible direction for the development
of research on internalized homophobia with the use of phalloplethysmography.
Internalized homophobia has a negative impact on the mental health (anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts)
of LGBT + people, it also implies a number of other social problems, e.g. risky sexual behavior, which
increased risk of HIV infection. In the psychoanalytical sense, homophobia is a phenomenon of a fearful nature, namely the fear of being considered homosexual. Penile phalloplethysmography (PPG), mainly
used in the field of research on sexual offenders, may also be used in the study of internalized homophobia.
The literature on the subject emphasizes the legitimacy of taking into account individual psychological and
social factors in research with the use of PPG.
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Keywords
phalloplethysmograph, phalloplethysmography, internalized homophobia, penile plethysmograph
About this articleTitle
Theoretical considerations on penile plethysmography usage in research on internalized homophobia
Journal
Seksuologia Polska (Polish Sexology)
Issue
Vol 19 (2021): Continuous Publishing
Article type
Review paper
Published online
2021-03-22
DOI
10.5603/SP.2021.0001
Bibliographic record
Seksuologia Polska 2021;19.
Keywords
phalloplethysmograph
phalloplethysmography
internalized homophobia
penile plethysmograph
Authors
Dominik Haak
Aleksandra Plewka
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