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Chapter 3 (continued)
Father and Son (continued)
General Relationship Problems
In general, it seems that problems are worse than normal in relationships between pre-homosexual sons and their fathers. In their extensive study, Bieber and his colleagues found problems in the relationships between fathers and sons in both their homosexual group and their CONTROL GROUP.a However, the problems were far worse among the homosexual sample. Bieber states that “profound interpersonal disturbance is unremitting in the [homosexual group] father-son relationships.” And they note that “the outstanding attitudes of homosexuals toward their fathers were hatred and fear.”8(p114) The findings of this study were so overwhelming that Bieber remarked: “We have come to the conclusion that a constructive, supportive, warmly related father precludes the possibility of a homosexual son.”8(p311)
Nicolosi describes a particular and pronounced negativism from homosexuals to their fathers, characterized by “qualities of festering resentment, hurt, disappointment, and inability to understand what their father is about.” Heterosexual men may give unfavorable descriptions of their fathers, but in Nicolosi’s experience “homosexual men are strong in their rejection of their father as a model.” It must be recognized, however, that not all homosexuals report problems in their relationships with their fathers, although strained relationships are predominant among the cases studied.7(p45-46) Possibly the damage done by a poor relationship with a father might be undone through a good relationship with another significant male. It is equally possible that a good relationship with father might be undone by particularly painful rejection from other males.3(p158-159)
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CONTROL GROUP: in research, to determine the significance or function of a specific variable or trait, two groups are tested: a test group and a control group. The control group is as much like the test group as possible, except that it lacks the one variable or trait being tested.
aThe control group in the study by Bieber, et al, was comprised of men who were in psychoanalytical treatment for problems other than homosexuality.8(pXXV) Thus, they were not a cross section of men in society and we might expect higher levels of parent-child relationship difficulty than would be typical of a group of men who were not in treatment.