BehaveNet® Clinical Capsule™:

psychopathology: homophobia


Used to identify a simple phobia this term might signify a fear or avoidance of sameness or of one who is in some way the same as oneself. However, in common use the term refers to irrational hostility or negative attitude (rather than fear, but often including avoidance) toward those of homosexual orientation. Interestingly, in psychoanalytic theory this negative attitude is sometimes assumed to arise from fear of one's own homosexual impulses even in one with heterosexual orientation.



http://www.behavenet.com/capsules
Search Capsules™ | Terms of Use | Request New Term
Capsules™ Copyright © 1997-2007 BehaveNet®