Scholarly vs. Popular Media Focus on Human Sexuality
Human sexuality has always been an intriguing research topic for both science and pop culture. Though tabooed for a long time, it still has the attraction of a forbidden fruit and, hence, causes a great deal of subjectivity in interpretation. This kind of subjectivity is backed up by emotionality and cultural patterns, which explains why the data provided by the media are mostly invalid or far-fetched. Thus, in case no method of objectivity is used, as is the case with scientific research, the final result is bound to be biased and lacking depth; this will be demonstrated below when comparing two samples of writing on sexuality.
‘Psychoanalysis and Women’s Experiences of “Coming Out”’ is an essay by M. Magee and D. Miller; it is part of a collection devoted to homosexuality as seen from psychoanalytic perspective. In their essay, the authors explore historical and cultural dimensions of female homosexuality and experiences of its revelation in society. They step back in history to 1920 when Freud wrote his vision of the issue in “The Psychogenesis of a Case of Homosexuality in a Woman”. Using Freud’s opinion as a background, the authors claim the controversy and importance of the coming-out stage in terms of its impact on a social and private identity. The article states the idea of repression, which is both a barrier and a resource in coming out. Although threatening with failure as a social object, it is claimed that coming out is a healing process for a homosexual person. The point about it is that it gives a stressful resource for acting out the situation of conflict that has been kept inside for a long time (Magee, 1995, p. 98). The article deals with the challenges and uncertainties that a lesbian woman faces in her daily social interactions. The authors refute some critic’s statement about provocative and unnecessary character of coming out. Instead, they focus on coming out not as a public act but as a whole series of small choices and strategies that
‘Psychoanalysis and Women’s Experiences of “Coming Out”’ is an essay by M. Magee and D. Miller; it is part of a collection devoted to homosexuality as seen from psychoanalytic perspective. In their essay, the authors explore historical and cultural dimensions of female homosexuality and experiences of its revelation in society. They step back in history to 1920 when Freud wrote his vision of the issue in “The Psychogenesis of a Case of Homosexuality in a Woman”. Using Freud’s opinion as a background, the authors claim the controversy and importance of the coming-out stage in terms of its impact on a social and private identity. The article states the idea of repression, which is both a barrier and a resource in coming out. Although threatening with failure as a social object, it is claimed that coming out is a healing process for a homosexual person. The point about it is that it gives a stressful resource for acting out the situation of conflict that has been kept inside for a long time (Magee, 1995, p. 98). The article deals with the challenges and uncertainties that a lesbian woman faces in her daily social interactions. The authors refute some critic’s statement about provocative and unnecessary character of coming out. Instead, they focus on coming out not as a public act but as a whole series of small choices and strategies that