Evelyn Hooker and her research on Homosexuality

Uncovering the Homosexual Myth : The Life and Work of Evelyn Hooker

Abstract : The following report will expound upon the life , work and research of noted social scientist , Evelyn Hooker . The focus of this document is that of Hooker 's research on homosexuality , as well as the life and work of this noted psychologist . Most noteworthy , her research on homosexuality contributed to a change in the attitudes of the psychological community towards homosexuality . Her work also encouraged the American Psychiatric Association to remove homosexuality from its handbook of diss in 1973 . Her work

gave further impetus to helping change the attitude of society regarding homosexuality and gay rights Truly , Hooker is an important figure in the movement towards sexual equality

Uncovering the Homosexual Myth : The Life and Work of Evelyn Hooker

Evelyn Hooker , born Evelyn Gentry , in Colorado Plains , in 1907 , was to become one of the foremost scholars in homosexual studies of all time She is most well-known for her research into the nature of homosexuality , and is one of the foremost figures involved in debunking some of the myths surrounding homosexuals during the time period . Having attended the University of Colorado , Hooker began studies with her mentor , Dr Karl Munzinger , who introduced her to the psychological theory of behaviorism . Hooker later went on to receive a Masters degree and later became one of eleven women to complete the PhD program in psychology at Johns Hopkins University . During a fellowship in Berlin Hooker was able to witness the current state of clinical psychology up close , as she worked and studied at the Berlin Institute of Psychotherapy . Many believe that this time in Berlin inspired her to work with the gay community in the United States at this time

After a brief teaching stint at the Maryland College for Women and Whittier College in California , Hooker became a research associate in experimental and physiological psychology at the University of California , Los Angeles , where she would work and research for more than thirty-years

Her most cited work is from 1957 , entitled "The Adjustment of the Male Overt Homosexual " Her interest in homosexuality began after one of her students , a gay male named Sam From , challenged her to do a study on homosexuals as an underrepresented , and misunderstood group , at that time . Through her studies , it became more and more apparent to Hooker that despite the current social and moral climate of the day homosexuals were perfectly socially adjusted human beings . Hooker set out to prove this through use of the scientific method

Hooker 's initial work later became important in the gay rights movement of the late sixties and seventies . In the 1960 's , the National Institute of Mental Health invited Evelyn Hooker to report on what the institution should do regarding their understandings of homosexual men . This ground-braking report stated that homosexuality was a normal function in the human being , it should be decriminalized , and that gays should be given equal status . Most importantly , her research on homosexuality contributed to a...