THE HOMOSEXUAL NEUROSES

by Wilhelm Stekel

The homosexual neurosis ([c1922])

Genres: Psychology

324 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1922

About the author

Wilhelm Stekel was an Austrian physician and psychologist, who became one of Sigmund Freud's earliest followers, and was once described as "Freud's most distinguished pupil". According to Ernest Jones, "Stekel may be accorded the honour, together with Freud, of having founded the first psycho-analytic society"; while he also described him as "a naturally gifted psychologist with an unusual flair for detecting repressed material." He later had a falling-out with Freud, who announced in November 1912 that "Stekel is going his own way". His works are translated and published in many languages.

Reviews

[Caeru]

This was an interesting insight into how early 20th century psychologists viewed and attempted to explain homosexuality.

The author manages to be both surprisingly open-minded as well as deeply bigoted, quite often in the same sentence, and his attempt to convince the reader that homosexuality is NOT innate but caused by trauma or childhood experiences, or occasionally adult experiences (and overbearing mothers of course, the author is very much a Freudian disciple) leads to some very entertaining mental gymnastics.

Reading this book was like opening a tiny window into the somewhat fevered psyche of the neurotic middle classes from a century ago. Dreams are analysed in depth, everyone wants to sleep with their parents or siblings, playing with dolls is a sure sign of homosexuality in boys, wanting the vote will make you a lesbian and apparently misogyny is caused by gonorrhea. Prostitution is fine but having a wank will make you gay. As will the gonorrhea. And discovering that your mother has a sex life. Also, beer.

This was a wild ride.

[Sibyl Vane]

>Indeed, the homo sexuals display a greater love intoxication than the heterosexuals. Such a degree of love frenzy as is displayed by the homosexuals is hardly ever seen among the heterosexuals.<

This book is an important piece of US psych history and also a fantastically funny read. The views on homosexuality are outlandish to a degree that I can barely believe that Stekel didn’t write this as a over-eager parody.

For Stekel, the answer to every hesitation, nervous tick, and dream is homosexuality. Think you’ve never had a homosexual thought and love the company and comfort of the opposite sex? Well, think again. Once Stekel is through with you, he will reveal that the reason you are such a Don Juan is your secret avoidance of your true desire, gay sex.

If you are a man, we learn that:
*arguing with your father
*fearing leg hair on your wife
*having sex with women
all in fact make you homosexual.

If you are a woman:
*campaigning for women’s rights
*working as a prostitute
*avoiding STDs
all are definite signs of repressed homosexuality.

Does he offer a cure? Well, no. But Stekel thinks admitting it can help you work through it. Many of his patients he seems to lose track of and cannot confirm if they retire from these behaviours or not. Odd.

Here are some quotes of the best kept secrets that reveal one’s homosexuality:

>The homosexual remembers everything and that fact is pointed out as proof of his sexual precocity.
>homosexuality manifests itself, is the love of prostitutes. The unconscious factor which here appeals to the homosexual component of the sexual libido is the fact that the body of the prostitute has been previously enjoyed by other men.
>The suicide of two friends, male or female, is often due to unsatisfied homosexuality
>Retif is a foot fetichist. The choice of this fetich, typically bisexual, already indicates latent homosexuality
>As a child he did crocheting and showed various female characteristics.
>In connection with my discussion of the Messalina type I have already shown that latent homosexuality is what drives many women to prostitution. They run away from woman and into the arms of man, into the arms of a great number of men!
>We often come across the statement that certain men, and women too, became homosexual after an infection, particularly gonorrhea. The fear of infection also plays an important role in the psychogenesis of homosexuality.

[and my personal favourite:]
>His mother is normal, but a very energetic woman, always taking care of her own affairs and when a couple of thieves once broke in at her home she grappled with them, threw them to the ground and held them.
[poor boy didn’t have a chance!]


Some other banger lines that are sure to stick with me:

>The homosexual represses his heterosexuality, the transvestite his homosexuality.
>During the bridal night he discovered a few light hairs on her breast and a light soft down on her abdomen. He was so shocked that he would have wanted to send her back to her parents. For months after that he was very unhappy and every night he wept over his misfortune.
[truly a man of sever hardship]
>The fact is this subject is now on the point of becoming a homosexual.
>He is pursued by homosexual thoughts (the left horse).
[Awesome Lesbian Couple vs Evil and Intimidating Horse .jpg]
>After the syphilitic infection he was for a time in danger of becoming homosexual. Now he protects himself against that tendency by various defensive measures.

I know US authors were suffering during the Prohibtion but that does not mean you can turn to Laudanum publishing. This was fun to read now, but I would be horrified if I had to live with him. I thought Freud was bad, but his disciples really tried to build off of his tower.

Because Stekel isn’t overly/purposefully cruel, and his writing was quite entertaining, I give this book 3 stars. The endless stories of all of his patients did get dull after awhile; fun to skim through I’m sure but took me a long while to actually put in the time and read it. I started to get the feeling that anyone he met was certainly covering their homosexual tendencies under seemingly common neuroses. If he had to interview himself, I wonder what he would say about that imagination of his…