Homosexuality: Nature Versus Nurture

HOMOSEXUALITY: NATURE VERSUS NURTURE Nature; all things belong to Mother Nature; the trees, the flowers, insects, the great waters, animals, and even the human race; all following the laws of nature that we are instinctively born with. However somewhere along the line something or someone defies those laws and go against what nature intended. Whether or not this rebellion is fostered by nurture, or if there is an exception to the laws that Mother Nature has set forth is a question that psychologist and many people have encountered and most have yet to find the answer. Homosexuality has been thought of as being something that some are born with and others believe it is a learned behavior. Whether or not nature or nurture is the cause for this â€Å"abnormality† we may never definitively know the answer to. But then again that all depends on what we define as being â€Å"normal†. To begin to answer the questions that plague humanity about sexual orientation we must first ask ourselves what exactly is sexuality and what role does it play in our society and the continuation of life. Sexuality is broken down into three areas: heterosexuality, bisexuality, and homosexuality. If you look at these on a scale one’s sexuality would be measured by the degree in which ones feelings are more drawn too from one end of the scale to the other (Feldman, 2009, pg 376). There are several components that are argued to have a significant role in what a person’s sexual identity is. These components are both biological and environmental in nature (Feldman, 2009, pg 377). Biologically hormones may play a role in determining sexual orientation (Feldman, 2009, pg 377). â€Å"Research has shown that women exposed to a drug called diethylstilbestrol (DES), taken by women to avoid miscarriage, before birth were more likely to be homosexual or bisexual† (Feldman, 2009, pg 377). â€Å"There is also research suggesting that brain structure could be a factor in the determination of ones sexuality† (Feldman, 2009, pg 377). The structure of the anterior hypothalamus, an area of the brain that governs sexual behavior, differs in male homosexuals and heterosexuals; compared with heterosexual men or women, gay men have a larger anterior commissure, which is a bundle of neurons connecting the right and left hemispheres of the brain† (Feldman, 2009, pg 377). Although biological reasoning can not be a clear cut explanation for homosexuality; it leaves us room to understand the condition of homosexuals rather than boorishly passing judgment on peopl e for something they did not ask to be. Examining the notion that homosexuality is a learned behavior rather than an innate behavior has led to one very interesting yet sad life lesson for one family suffering from what one could call the effects of inadvertent child abuse. David Reimer was born Bruce Reimer, however he was raised as Brenda Reimer. When David and his twin brother Brian were just six months old their mother took them in for a routine circumcision. The babies had been having difficulty passing urine and with the suggestion of the family Doctor Mrs. Reimer took her boys in for the procedure that would ultimately change David’s life before it even began (McKenna, Kessler, Tiefer, and Schober, 2002). â€Å"The doctors had chosen an unconventional method of circumcision, one in which the skin would be burned. The procedure went horribly wrong and Bruce's penis was burned so badly that it could not be repaired surgically. † Thinking irrationally, Mrs. Reimer’s first concerns were how Bruce would cope as an adolescent lacking a penis. The decision was made; after listening to a Doctor by the name of John Money, and taking into consideration his views on sexuality, it was decided that Bruce would be raised as a female, and was renamed Brenda. Dr. John Money of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore argues that â€Å"boys – caught early enough – could be raised to be girls; nurture and not nature determines a child's gender, the doctor argued† (McKenna, Kessler, Tiefer, and Schober, 2002). If this is to be true, that nurture is the determining factor in ones sexuality, then raising Bruce as Brenda would seemingly erase any hardship he would have to encounter growing up. However that would prove to be furthest from the truth. Growing up Brenda couldn’t understand why she liked doing things that boys were doing and why as an adolescent she became attracted to girls and not boys. Eventually Brenda would learn the truth of her true identity and what he had been going through with Dr. Money and his â€Å"experiment†; a life experience that would ultimately lead to his committing suicide (McKenna, Kessler, Tiefer, and Schober, 2002). Subjecting individuals to such traumas can prove to have a psychological hold on people who have to endure such horrific episodes in their lives. Sexual trauma and early exposure to sexual activity is another argument in the quest to determine the roots to homosexuality. There are so many young girls today that start out with sexual activity at an early age; some as early as ten years old. Over time these young ladies are exposed to sexual activity such as oral sex, group sex, and same-sex gratification. They have allowed themselves to be misused by men, for lack of guidance, and find that blaming the men for their broken hearts is an easy way to act on their curiosities about same-sex relations. With the rise of same-sex parenting it is only natural for one to assume that such behavior displayed in the home would raise questions to rather or not this type of dysfunctional display of what a family is â€Å"supposed† to look like could actually be one of the causes of homosexuality amongst pre-teens and teens. If this is all they see at home this becomes normal to them; therefore making heterosexuality an abnormality. However on the contrary studies show that â€Å"researchers looked at information gleaned from 15 studies on more than 500 children, evaluating possible stigma, teasing and social isolation, adjustment and self-esteem, opposite gender role models, sexual orientation, and strengths. Studies from 1981 to 1994, including 260 children reared by either heterosexual mothers or same-sex mothers after divorce, found no differences in intelligence, type or prevalence of psychiatric disorders, self-esteem, well-being, peer relationships, couple relationships, or parental stress†(MD, Chang, 2002). Some studies showed that single heterosexual parents' children have more difficulties than children who have parents of the same sex,† Perrin says. â€Å"They did better in discipline, self-esteem, and had less psychosocial difficulties at home and at school† (MD, Chang, 2002). â€Å"Another study of 37 children of 27 divorced lesbian mothers and a similar number of children of he terosexual mothers found no differences in behavior, adjustment, gender identity, and peer relationships† (MD, Chang, 2002). The effects of same-sex parenting seems to be equally or more effective than that of heterosexual house-holds. The one governing element in child rearing is a combination of love, discipline, and explanation of things not easily understood. There can, however, be a much darker side to the equation. Such as childhood rape; â€Å"although it is difficult to make accurate estimates of the true incidence of child sexual abuse, due to the majority of the cases going unreported, experts estimate that each year a half million children are sexually abused† (Feldman, 2009, pg 380). The short – and longer term consequences of child hood sexual abuse can be extremely damaging. Victims report fear, anxiety, depression, anger, and hostility. Long-term effects may include depression, self-destructive behavior such as drug and alcohol abuse, poor self-esteem, and feeling of isolation† (Feldman, 2009, pg 381). Children who experience same-sex sexual abuse can suffer identity issu es when it comes time for them to identify their sexual orientation. Because of the trauma this behavior fosters confusion, and uncertainty about who they are sexually. There are however those who triumph in the face of adversity; those who take negatives and make out of them their testimony and help others with the same or similar issues. Take for example the life of Mr. Donnie McClurkin; as a child Donnie was not raped once but twice by two different family members. Both family members were of the male gender. Throughout his life Donnie had to cope with the sexual trauma he had endured at such an early age; he became confused and could not understand why him (Boykin, 2002). Mr. McClurkin led a homosexual lifestyle for over 20 years until he completely gave his life over to his religion. He is now married to a woman and has children. He no longer lives a homosexual lifestyle (Boykin, 2002) In this situation his choice to lead a homosexual lifestyle was fostered by sexual and mental trauma, this does not constitute factual standing that he was born a homosexual or even that he really â€Å"choose† to have these misunderstood feelings for the same sex. So how then do we conclude whether or not sexuality is a choice or an inborn attribute people come to this world with before they even completely understand the beauty of sexual orientation? Living in a world where you are forced suppress who you really are to pacify the needs of others will always be a hindrance and in turn will keep you oppressed in your own body. Most homosexuals suffer from depression because they are hiding their true selves from the world for fear of being exiled so-to-speak by society. However in this day and age freedom to self expression has become more accepted though there are still others who have become like a recluse to their families because of their sexual preference. Is homosexuality really a sin? First of all we have to establish what the word sin really means. According to the Bible; to sin is to transgress the law. Most people who are familiar with religion and its origin know that according to Hebrew Scriptures the law is what we call today the Old Testament, or more accurately referred to as the Torah. The Torah was given to Moses in it you will find the Ten Commandments (Exodus 34:28) Though in the United States of America church and state are deemed separate, the constitution adheres to those Ten Commandments in which speak nothing of homosexuality. So, how then does homosexuality become a sin; would it be the same as saying a person afflicted with mental retardation is a sinner; they too did not ask to be that way. Being in your natural state means to be who you are; if you are a homosexual who pretends to be heterosexual to please society you are then in an unnatural state. If God makes no mistakes then why are homosexuals persecuted so harshly? Religion is a man made institution to allow for structure within a society; it has nothing to do with nature. If one can not explain the beauty of God in mere mortal words how then can they determine what is natural and what is not. Life is an expression; so is love. Therefore if it is more natural for one to express their love with someone of the same sex, then who are we to judge? The line between â€Å"normal† and â€Å"abnormal† can be as thin as the line between love and hate. To be is to exist and to have your very existence held hostage by the insecurities of someone else’s existence is an injustice imposed by a society who finds great thrill in playing the role of God. Nature is beautiful. It brings with it the beauty of mystery and the excitement of being able to acquire knowledge thereof. It can not be explained by limiting its greatness to the confines of the human psyche and the ignorance of its grace. Nature determines what is natural. If it is born of nature that it is in the state it was intended to be; so again I ask who are we to judge? References Boykin, K. , (2002) Confessions of Donnie McClurkin. Retrieved May 23, 2009 from http://www. keithboykin. om/arch/2002/11/19/confessions_of. Feldman, R. S. , (2009) Understanding Psychology. Ninth Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill. McKenna W. , Kessler S. J. , Tiefer L. , Schober J. M. (2002). As Nature Made Him: The Boy Who Was Raised as a Girl. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 31(3), 301-306. Retrieved May 25, 2009, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 121961432). MD, Chang, L. , (2002). Study: Same-Sex Parents Raise Well-Adjusted Kids. Retrieved May 24, 2009 from WebMD Health News Archive. T he Bible. King James Version.

Sexuality and Breast Cancer Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Sexuality and Breast Cancer - Assignment Example Particularly among women more than 50 years of age, breast cancer is one of the major causes of deaths throughout the United Kingdom. Each year, approximately more than 10,000 or 26 out of 100,000 women die due to untreated breast cancer (Office for National Statistics, 2011b). Several studies revealed that there is a close link between sexuality and breast cancer in the sense that most women who has been diagnosed or has received breast cancer treatment experience a decreased sexual performance due to the psychological impact of body image disturbances (Fobair & Spiegel, 2009; Sheppard & Ely, 2008; Burwell et al., 2006; Fobair et al., 2006; Pelusi, 2006). The focus of this annotated bibliography is to examine and identify the link between sexuality and breast cancer. Aside from determining strategic ways that will enable specialist breast care nurses deliver a holistic care to the patients, information gathered in this study will be useful in terms of educating men and women about the psychological impact of having breast cancer on sexuality. This article increases the readers’ knowledge with regards to effective ways in controlling symptoms related to breast cancer treatment. It also emphasized the importance of increasing the nurses’ knowledge concerning the physiological and psychological impact of breast cancer. Aside from considering the cultural background of each patient when treating breast cancer, the author explained how the use of chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, radiation therapy, and mastectomy could create negative effects in patients’ sexual responses, sexual relationship with their partners and disturbance in body image. The author conducted a literature review as a way of examining the impact of breast cancer and breast cancer treatments on body image, sexual roles and relationships, and cultural differences of each patient. In general, qualitative approach in research design examines the relationship between the nature of the subject being examined in its natural setting (Maykut & Mor ehouse, 1994, p. 68). Through the use of this approach in research design, the researcher can freely describe and interpret the personal opinion of the research respondents with regards to the research questions (Patton, 2002). However, information gathered from pure qualitative research study is highly dependent on the researcher’s analysis and interpretation. Therefore, it would have been better in case the author decided to combine the use of qualitative with quantitative approach in research study design. Aside from the negative psychological impact of mastectomy, aging could make women unhappy about their physical appearance. Therefore, health teaching should be a part of the nurses’ responsibility when delivering holistic care to the patients. To encourage the patients’ partner in giving emotional support to the patient, nurses should communicate and educate the patients’ partner that the side effects of cancer therapies includes hormonal changes, s leep and appetite disturbances, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, malaise, and apathy. In response to

Korea in the Cold War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Korea in the Cold War - Essay Example 883). The war broke in June 25, 1950; led by the Soviet made tanks, the North Korean military rumbled across the thirty-eighth parallel. South Korea was caught unprepared, and their forces were pushed back southward to a treacherously tiny defensive region around Pusan. In the process of restoring peace between these two regimes, General MacArthur was the U.N. commander in the entire operation. Instead of fighting his way out of the southern Pusan perimeter, MacArthur launched a bold amphibious landing behind the rival’s lines at Inchon. This action succeeded, and the North Koreans scrambled back behind the asylum of the thirty-eighth parallel. MacArthur received authorization to cross the border to North Korea by the U.N. Assembly; President Truman ordered him northward. MacArthur insisted there was no substitute for victory, and his comments against Truman led to his removal from command (Kennedy et al. 884). The Korean War provided the occasion for a vast expansion of the A merican army. President Truman gave orders to MacArthur, and this shows that America was extensively involved in the war. Through the National Security Council Memorandum Number 68 (NSC-68), President Truman ordered enormous military buildup which was beyond what was essential for the instant purposes of the Korean War. (Kennedy et al. 883). Truman took advantage of the temporary absence of the Soviet Union from the U.N. Security Council, to obtain an undisputed condemnation of North Korea as the assailant. Without consulting the Congress, Truman ordered U.S. naval and air units to support South Korea. When America realized there was no intervention from China or the Soviet Union, they raised their stakes in Korea. The Chinese communists counter attacked North Korea when hostile troops approached the Yalu River border between China and Korea. The effects of the Korean War later led to disintegration of North Korea and South Korea. In July 1951, peace discussions started in a rude meadow tent close to the firing line, but these talks were also immediately hitched on the issue of prisoner exchange. Talks hauled unproductively for almost two years (Kennedy et al. 885). The events of this war led to hilarious welcome of MacArthur’s actions whereas Truman was condemned as an appeaser of Communist China and Communist Russia. These two countries up until now involve themselves in the blame game, in relation to nuclear weapons. # 3 The cold war began in 1945 after the end of the World War II. After Americans celebrated their nation’s victories in Asia and Europe, they started ending relations with their wartime ally after the Soviet Union threatened a new and more terrible international conflict (Kennedy et al. 858). According to historical relations of United States and the Soviet Union, there was little hope that these two nations would reach pleasant understandings about the form of the postwar world. Mutual suspicions were antique, abiding, and abundant. Communism in the Soviet Union and capitalism in America facilitated the cold war. The delays of opening up a second fr ont against Germany by America and Britain nourished the skepticism of the Soviet towards the West. America and Britain had also frozen their Soviet ally out of the project of developing atomic weapons, further adding the mistrust. The Washington authorities deteriorated

Marketing Planning and Strategy (Marketing Yourself)2 Assignment

Marketing Planning and Strategy (Marketing Yourself)2 - Assignment Example According to Parrish (2014), marketers always strive to create ‘needs’ for their customers because this strategy can assist marketers to make their products/services absolutely necessary to the targeted market segment. In contrast, consumers try to distinguish between their ‘needs and wants’ so as to make effective utilization of money. I do not think that marketers overlook the target market. Generally marketers develop specific policies and practices to market their products/services to the target market. Hence marketers cannot meet their goals once they fail to focus on the target market. I strongly believe that an exercise was carried out to identify the target market for this course because candidates are required to express their knowledge in marketing profession. I do believe that I will be more marketable on completing this course because it is comprehensive enough to provide me with an in-depth knowledge regarding the marketing profession. Parrish, J. (2014). Creating A Sense Of Urgency: Why Marketing Must Behave Like Sales. Forbes, Sep 1. Retrieved from

Indian Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Indian Religion - Essay Example They comprise of two distinct parts, one is the Brahmanas or the knowledge, which deals with the direct realization of God and the Karma Kanda, which deals rituals and their performance. The Vedas are four in number Rig-Veda, Yajur-Veda, Sama-Veda and Atharva-Veda. No Hindu religious text can be based on anything other than the Vedas; hence, the Puranas or Epics are also based on the authority of the Vedas. In the epics, the Divine Incarnations of God are described. These Divine Incarnations also, followed the precepts of the Vedas implicitly, thereby setting an example to the common man. As such, the Vedas are unchangeable and eternal; nothing can be added to, reduced or changed in them. The Puranas serve to illustrate the injunctions laid down in the Vedas. The very same Brahma Vidyas of the Vedas, or direct methods to realize the Ultimate Reality, are to be found in the Puranas. However, the emphasis in Puranas, as they deal with Divine Incarnations, is on Faith or Bhakti. The Bra hmanas with their emphasis on Brahma Vidyas, are what comprises the Path of Knowledge to realize God. It must be emphasized that Sanatan Dharma has many paths or methods to realize God. It is a highly developed religion and has a very strong base in practical religion. Initially the emphasis was on the Path of Knowledge but over a period of time it was realized that such logical reasoning to arrive at the ultimate truth was not possible for everyone. The path of Bhakti or Faith was found to be uncomplicated and very easy.

BUSINESS ECONOMICS COURSEWORK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

BUSINESS ECONOMICS COURSEWORK - Essay Example In this labor contract, wages and benefits are specified. However, Bhagat is free to choose the quantity of labor it employs. Bhagat has announced a $3 price increase for its machine parts. This figure represents the projected $3 increase in labor costs due to its new union contract. It is Gina’s responsibility to evaluate this announcement. Many firms use cost-plus pricing for supply contracts as the changes in cost-plus contracts are more likely to become a responsibility of the purchaser of the product. Thus, fluctuations and volatility of labor costs, price for fuel and other resources are the risks of the purchaser of the product rather than supplier/manufacturer. Cost-plus pricing mitigates the risks of the supplier/manufacturer of the product and therefore, makes him feel more relaxed and less motivated to reduce costs associated with production of the product. Purchaser of the product has to pay for these costs, which incurs increase of the price of the product sold and therefore either decreases his mark up or weakens his competitive position on the market. Personal video recorders (PVRs) are digital video recorders used to record and replay television programs received from cable, satellite, or local broadcasts. But unlike VCRs, which they replace, PVRs offer many more functions, notably the ability to record up to 80 hours of programs and easy programming. A PVR consists of an internal hard disk and micro processor. After the owner installs the hardware, the PVR downloads all upcoming TV schedules to the hardware via a phone or cable connection. Users merely enter the name of the show(s) they want recorded and the system finds the time and channel of the show and automatically records it. Users must subscribe to a cable or satellite system if they wish to record programs off these channels. Besides ease of programming and much larger recording capacity than video tape,

Air legislation - mantenance, planning and organisation Essay

Air legislation - mantenance, planning and organisation - Essay Example The aircraft is capable of rotation along the three axes namely; Pitch ,Roll and Yaw, in addition to a linear motion along the specific air route when in- flight. For any type of movement shown by the aircraft ,the weight of the aircraft must be balanced out to maintain the position of the center of gravity for stability. An air craft can have Lateral center of gravity, Longitudinal center of gravity and even Vertical center of gravity. The most important if these being the Lateral cg, which has a critical role in stabilizing the pitch of the aircraft. Lateral cg is further partitioned into Forward and Aft cg. There are limits to the Fore and Aft cg positioning. If the Fore and Aft cg is out of range the aircraft may pitch uncontrollably up or down during take-off ,flight or landing. For example if the cg is too far forward , the plane is likely to tilt forward or crash The Lateral cg position is to be maintained in order to control and stabilize any unwanted roll movement during any stage of flight. The position of Lateral cg can shift if there is an uneven distribution of fuel in the tanks,or in case of an uneven seating arrangement of passengers in a small aircraft. The Vertical cg position is associated with the stability of the flight along the yaw axis. A shift in the vertical cg can result in yawing motion if not compensated for by the pilot during take-off, flight and landing. The center of gravity is a major factor in the stability of an aircraft in all the phases of flight ; take-off ,cruise / flight and landing. A disturbance in the longitudinal, lateral or vertical cg can upset the movement of the aircraft along either of the three axes ;pitch , roll or