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Psychologist Warren Throckmorton, associate professor of psychology at Grove City College, Pennsylvania once met a woman who was in a lifelong lesbian relationship and suddenly, with no prefaced desire to leave her lesbian lifestyle, fell in love with a guy at work. She left her lesbian partner and married the man. The American Psychological Association just published a report on whether therapists can make this change happen. In examining change therapy, which claims that people with homosexual desires can switch to heterosexual desires, the report says there is insufficient evidence that the therapies work. But it also found that while...

The report was compiled by a six-member task force that admitted to a built-in bias that "same-sex sexual attractions, behavior and orientations per se are normal and positive variants of human sexuality and are not indicators of either mental or developmental disorders." The National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) said the task force was stacked with gay or gay-friendly activists who would naturally conclude that reparative therapy does not work. "No APA member who offers reorientation therapy was allowed to join the task force," said David Pruden, NARTH vice president. "In fact, one can make the case...

Toronto, Canada — A chorus of voices in the professional world today proclaims that it is impossible to change sexual orientation, particularly homosexual orientation, and that the attempt to change sexual orientation is harmful. A supposed consensus of science is invoked in support of such claims. For example, for many years the Public Affairs website of the American Psychological Association stated: “Can therapy change sexual orientation? No. . . . [H]omosexuality . . . does not require treatment and is not changeable.”¹ Psychologists Stanton L. Jones and Mark A. Yarhouse will announce on August 9, 2009, at the annual convention...

n a confirmation of persistent stereotypes, an international team of psychologists have determined that when it comes to one-night stands, men have much lower standards than women do. The study, published in the journal Human Nature, revealed that when asked whether they would "go out with," "go home with," or "go to bed with," a member of the opposite sex, men were universally more willing than their female counterparts, regardless of how attractive the potential partner was. Women, in contrast, were much more picky—agreeing to head home or sleep with men only if they were very good looking. The research...

Middle-aged men who strongly idealize masculinity are almost 50 percent less likely than other men to seek preventative healthcare services, according to a study—the first population-based analysis of men's masculinity beliefs and preventative healthcare compliance—to be presented at the 104th annual meeting of the American Sociological Association. "This research strongly suggests that deep-seated masculinity beliefs are one core cause of men's poor health, inasmuch as they reduce compliance with recommended preventative health services," said Kristen W. Springer, the study's primary investigator. Springer is an assistant professor of sociology at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, as well as a...

Dr. Sam Vaknin is an Israeli psychologist. He has written extensively about narcissism. Dr. Vaknin states "I must confess I was impressed by Sen. Barack Obama from the first time I saw him. At first I was excited to see a black candidate. He looked youthful, spoke well, appeared to be confident - a wholesome presidential package. I was put off soon, not just because of his shallowness but also because there was an air of haughtiness in his demeanor that was unsettling. His posture and his body language were louder than his empty words. Obama's speeches are unlike any...

A Christian attorney says the American Psychological Association's rejection of therapy designed to help homosexuals leave their lifestyle is "devoid of science, reality and the common practices of a counselor." On Wednesday, the American Psychological Association (APA) issued a strong condemnation of reparative therapy, declaring that mental health professionals should not tell homosexual clients they can change their sexual behavior through therapy or other treatments. Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, says the APA is a political organization that has chosen to leave science behind. "When it declassified homosexuality in the 1970s, it did it against the background...

Psychological barriers like uncertainty, mistrust and denial keep most Americans from acting to fight climate change, a task force of the American Psychological Association said on Wednesday.

NEW YORK – The American Psychological Association declared Wednesday that mental health professionals should not tell gay clients they can become straight through therapy or other treatments. Instead, the APA urged therapists to consider multiple options — that could range from celibacy to switching churches — for helping clients whose sexual orientation and religious faith conflict. In a resolution adopted on a 125-to-4 vote by the APA's governing council, and in a comprehensive report based on two years of research, the 150,000-member association put itself firmly on record in opposition of so-called "reparative therapy" which seeks to change sexual orientation....

NEW YORK – The American Psychological Association declared Wednesday that mental health professionals should not tell gay clients they can become straight through therapy or other treatments. Instead, the APA urged therapists to consider multiple options — that could range from celibacy to switching churches — for helping clients whose sexual orientation and religious faith conflict. In a resolution adopted on a 125-to-4 vote by the APA's governing council, and in a comprehensive report based on two years of research, the 150,000-member association put itself firmly on record in opposition of so-called "reparative therapy" which seeks to change sexual orientation.

Scientists have long searched for a biological basis for psychopathy, a behavioral disorder attributed to chronic immorality. While previous studies have found no clear evidence, Professor Declan Murphy of the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London believes he has found an area of the brain that is decidedly different in a psychopath as compared to a normal person. It is unsurprising that much of the research to date has focused on the amygdale (the part of the brain involved with emotions and aggression) and the orbitofrontal cortex (which deals in decision making). However, an unstudied area is the uncinate...

THE EVIDENCE IS HERE: This document contains over 60 pages of evidence and analysis proving Barack Obama’s use of a little-known and highly deceptive and manipulative form of “hack” hypnosis on millions of unaware Americans, and reveals what only a few psychologists and hypnosis/NLP experts know.

Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, has been drawn into a row over its decision to publish common responses to the 10 Rorschach inkblots. The plates were created by the Swiss psychiatrist Hermann Rorschach for his book "Psychodiagnostik," published in 1921. Because they were made more than 90 years ago their US copyright has lapsed. However, psychologists have complained that publishing the inkblots and responses is the equivalent to putting answers to school exams on the internet. "The only winners seem to be those for whom this issue has become personal, and who see this as a game in which victory means...

My Weekly Date with a Liberal - ‘Emotional Redistribution’ by Jon David The article will begin shortly. Thank you for your patience.  Let’s begin.Although facebook has been the gift that keeps on giving in terms of confirming whether or not a prospective date is or is not a liberal, for this installment I thought I’d put my instincts to the test by participating in the very underrated process of “stereotyping.”I think, and rightfully so, that many Americans feel that Los Angeles is a place bankrupt of spirituality…not to mention just plain bankrupt. However, there is a spiritual movement among Angelinos...

It's now more than 50 years since the revolution began. Sexual "liberation" has been endlessly ballyhooed by the national media, promoted in the movies, embraced by Playboy guys and Cosmo girls as a freedom more delicious than Eden's apple. No American under 40 can honestly remember a time when sex on TV was taboo, when "living together" meant married, when "gay" meant happy, and when almost every child lived with both parents.   If truth be told, the revolution has been a disaster. Before the push to loosen America's sexual mores really got under way in the 1950s, the...

You may not understand what your dog is trying to tell you, but your baby might. Infants as young as six months old can tell what kind of mood a pooch is in by its bark, according to a new study. Brigham Young University researchers showed babies two different pictures of the same dog, looking aggressive and then friendly. They then played sound recordings of a happy and an angry bark in a random order. Amazingly, the babies spent most of the time staring at the matching picture after hearing the sound.

Almost four decades ago, the 26th Amendment lowered the US voting age to 18.  At the time, most neurologists believed that the human brain was fully developed by about age 12, so allowing Americans to vote at 18 seemed like a safe move. But parents of teenagers knew that was nonsense, and new research is confirming those parental observations.  Since the voting age was lowered in 1971, scientific advancements such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allowed researchers to get detailed three-dimensional images of developing brains. Although human brains typically reach their adult size by age 12, they are far from...

Ask any straight woman how many of her female friends she's kissed and the answer is likely to be “one or two” if not “all of them.” Ask any straight guy how many of his dude buddies he's kissed and the answer is probably going to be, “Are you out of your mind?” Katy Perry can sing “I kissed a girl and I liked it” without throwing her sexual identity into question. But as shown by the new movie Humpday , about two schlubby straight friends in their 30s who decide to sleep together for an art project, the same...

"Washington, July 11 : Always wondered why some guys always manage to get the best of girls? Well, the secret is not good looks or a well-defined six pack, but the fact that women simply get attracted to certain personality traits and flock to men who possess them."

Wednesday July 15, 2009 Study Confirms Cohabitation Leads To Higher Chance Of Divorce and Lower Relationship Quality By Thaddeus M. BaklinskiWASHINGTON, July 15, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A new study published in the Journal of Family Psychology shows that couples who live together before getting engaged and/or married are more likely to get divorced than those who don't move in together until engagement or marriage, and that couples who live together before engagement report lower satisfaction in their marriages.Using a random telephone survey of 1,050 men and women married within the past 10 years, the current study replicated previous findings regarding the...

Couples who shack up before tying the knot are more likely to get divorced than their counterparts who don't move in together until marriage, a new study suggests. Upwards of 70 percent of U.S. couples are cohabiting these days before marrying, the researchers estimate. The study, published in the February issue of the Journal of Family Psychology, indicates that such move-ins might not be wise. And it's not because you start to get on one another's nerves. Rather, the researchers figure the shared abode could lead to marriage for all the wrong reasons. "We think that some couples who move...

Senators today begin their public confirmation questioning of Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama's nominee to fill the seat of retiring U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter. As a matter of Senate courtesy - to say nothing of political equity - the majority Democrats should allow minority Republicans just as much time to question Sotomayor as they were allowed when they were the opposition party and vetting President Bush's nominees. More likely, Sen. Pat Leahy, D-VT, will throttle the Senate Judicial Committee's GOP minority into accepting minimal time for questioning the nominee. This is in part because Leahy and his Senate...

The phrase 'like herding cats' resonates with people for a reason; it's difficult to get them to do anything they don't already want to do. But they have no problem getting humans to do their bidding, according to a report published in Current Biology, which shows that even biologists are concerned about future feline-human relations. It seems crafty felines accelerate the filling of food dishes by sending a mixed signal: an urgent meowing coupled with an otherwise pleasant purr. Humans find it annoying and difficult to ignore. It's not April 1st or December so calibrate your belief accordingly.

If you've ever wondered who's in control, you or your cat, a new study points to the obvious. It's your cat. Household cats exercise this control with a certain type of urgent-sounding, high-pitched meow, according to the findings.

The Educational Testing Service wanted to help graduate school applicants prove they are more than a set of test scores. So it developed a tool to rate students across a broad sweep of traits -- creativity, teamwork, integrity -- that admission tests don't measure. The Personal Potential Index, unveiled this week, looks suspiciously like another set of scores. An applicant's personality is distilled into six traits, and the applicant is rated on each of them by various professors and former supervisors on a scale of 1 to 5. Officials with the nonprofit organization, based in Princeton, N.J., say the index...

A new report in this month's issue of the peer-reviewed Journal of Human Sexuality finds that sexual orientation can be changed — and that psychological care for individuals with unwanted same-sex attractions is generally beneficial and that research has not found significant risk of harm. The study, conducted by the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), examined more than 100 years of professional and scientific literature from 600-plus studies and reports from clinicians, researchers and former clients principally published in professional and peer-reviewed journals. "This research is a significant milestone when it comes to the scientific debate...

The prevailing view among parents, the general public and mental health professionals that infants as young as six months old "do not remember" traumatic events that happen to them or to their loved ones has recently been disproved, a professor of infant mental health said at a Jerusalem conference on Sunday.... [snip] ... Most professionals and parents have pooh-poohed this idea because infants and young toddlers do not have the verbal ability to describe the trauma, but it nevertheless is stored in their brains, she asserted....[snip]... People are wrong to assume that when traumatized infants grow up and don't speak...

Study: Abortion Has More Negative Parenting Impact Than Other Pregnancy Loss - A new review of studies examining various types of prenatal loss and the effects on subsequent parenting has concluded that abortion may be "particularly damaging to the parenting process." The article, published in Current Women's Health Reviews, looked at already published studies on miscarriage, induced abortion and adoption. http://www.LifeNews.com/nat5193.html

An experience of sexual abuse in childhood or adolescence is associated with an increased risk of gay men becoming HIV-positive in adult life, American researchers report in the July 1st edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. The research also showed that men with a history of sexual abuse in early life had higher levels of depression and problematic drug and alcohol use, as well as being less receptive to HIV prevention interventions. “This is the first study…to demonstrate a predictive relationship between a history of childhood sexual abuse and high rates of HIV infection among HIV-uninfected men...

Below is a list of serial killers who were homosexuals. This list is intended for reference purposes only and does not imply a causal relationship between homosexuality and serial killing. Although incidents of serial killing are widely reported in the media because of the heinous and unusual nature of these crimes, there are actually very few serial killers relative to the general population. Research into this phenomenon is ongoing, and a small industry has sprung up around the practice of "profiling" serial killers in order to assist in their apprehension. But, law enforcement officials agree that each serial killer is...

AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine Human Rights Commission ruled Monday that the Orono School Department discriminated against a transgender child by denying her access to the girls bathroom. While the school department’s lawyer warned that schools around the state may not be ready to manage the practical fallout from the decision, civil liberties advocates hailed the ruling as an advancement of human rights.

Liberals: Are They Born That Way?July 1, 2009 BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: I gotta deal with something here. August 1st will be 21 years. And for about 20 of these -- maybe 21 of the 21 and-a-half years, there hasn't been a day go by that I haven't been asked, "Rush, why are liberals the way they are?" Now, you take a look at the Supreme Court decision on the Ricci case, the firefighters in New Haven, four human beings, four Americans saw no discrimination against the white firefighters in the case when it was obvious. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, writing for...

Not everyone should be a parent. In Sweden, a pair of moonbats are attempting to turn their child into a freak by pretending the poor kid has no gender: Pop’s parents, both 24, made a decision when their baby was born to keep Pop’s sex a secret. Aside from a select few — those who have changed the child’s diaper — nobody knows Pop’s gender; if anyone enquires, Pop’s parents simply say they don’t disclose this information. In an interview with newspaper Svenska Dagbladet in March, the parents were quoted saying their decision was rooted in the feminist philosophy that...

A Catholic psychologist who specializes in reparative therapy with homosexuals says it's possible for those with same-sex attractions to change, despite agenda-driven ideologies that state the opposite. Joseph Nicolosi, founder and director of the Thomas Aquinas Psychological Clinic in Encino, California spoke with ZENIT about his experience as a clinical psychologist and the former president of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH). NARTH, a "scientific, non-religious and non-political" organization, recently put out an article about the little known revision of the American Psychological Association's (APA) statement on homosexuality, which was highlighted last month in a WorldNetDaily...

Women More Likely Than Men to Reject Unattractive Babies Wed Jun 24, 7:04 pm ET WEDNESDAY, June 24 (HealthDay News) -- Women are more likely than men to look away from less-than-cute babies, according to a study that challenges the idea of a mother's unconditional love. The findings might reflect an evolutionary-based need to provide limited resources only to healthy offspring, suggest the researchers, from Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass. "Our study shows how beauty can affect parental attitudes," study senior author Dr. Igor Elman, director of the hospital's clinical psychopathology laboratory and an associate professor of psychiatry at...

WASHINGTON – Puzzling new research suggests women have a harder time than men looking at babies with facial birth defects. It's a surprise finding. Psychiatrists from the Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital, who were studying perceptions of beauty, had expected women to spend more time than men cooing over pictures of extra-cute babies. Nope. Instead, the small study being published Wednesday raises more questions than it can answer. First the background: The McLean team already had studied men and women looking at photos of adults' faces on a computer screen. They rated facial beauty, and could do various keystrokes to watch the...

“Behind every great woman, you will find her dad.” According to an article by Joanne Richard in the Edmonton Sun, that’s the kind of extraordinary power that a father has over his daughter. Dr. Mary Jo Rapini, a psychotherapist and author, declares that the way a dad treats his little girl determines how she will feel about herself as a woman. If fathers admire their daughter’s achievements, character, and looks, says Dr. Rapini, that girl will become a confident and self-assured person who will choose a husband who treats her the same way. In fact, Dr. Rapini echoes the old...

Responding to concerns that psychologists might be required to counsel homosexual couples about strengthening their relationship, Catholic leaders in Nebraska are asking for conscience protections for psychologists who refuse to treat or refer clients because of religious or moral convictions. Speaking during a licensing rules hearing before the Board of Mental Health Practice, Nebraska Catholic Conference executive director Jim Cunningham proposed a “convictions of conscience” rule for psychologists. The Lincoln Journal Star reports that he warned that Catholic Charities in Omaha and Catholic Social Services in Lincoln might have to stop hiring licensed counselors and psychologists if they are not...

Psychology and faith might seem unlikely partners at first glance, but they are compatible, according to a recent edition of a professional journal of psychology. In fact, psychology needs a conception of the human person that can accurately describe what our body and soul are and how they relate. It also would do well to acknowledge that humans have both natural and transcendent desires. This was the opening affirmation of the just-published "Catholic issue" of the journal "Edification: A Journal of the Society of Christian Psychology" (Vol. 3.1). The issue was entrusted to the Institute for the Psychological Sciences (IPS),...

(The following commentary includes material obtained by the National Association of Chiefs of Police from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Behavioral Analysis Unit.) Psychopathy is a personality disorder manifested in people who use a mixture of charm, manipulation, intimidation, and occasionally violence to control others, in order to satisfy their own selfish needs. Although the concept of psychopathy has been known for centuries, the FBI leads the world in the research effort to develop a series of assessment tools, to evaluate the personality traits and behaviors attributable to psychopaths. Interpersonal traits include glibness, superficial charm, a grandiose sense of self-worth,...

Researchers found that men preferred the shape of ordinary women, equivalent to dress size 14, than so-called super-attractive models, according to a study that compared the body shapes of ordinary women, Playboy centrefolds, models from the 1920s and 1990s and glamour girls. Professor Rob Brooks at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, and colleagues, asked 100 male students to judge the attractiveness of 201 line drawings of female torsos with different hip, waist and shoulder measurements.

Over the last four decades, American women have got almost everything the feminist movement promised. Lucky us! Are we happy now? No, we are not. All across the industrialized world, wherever egalitarian feminism has sprinkled its fairy dust, women report that they are considerably less happy and satisfied with life then were their benighted, patriarchy-oppressed, apron-wearing sisters of yore. “The Paradox of Declining Female Happiness,” a new study conducted by Wharton academics Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers, finds that the happiness of Western women has been steadily declining over the exact period during which egalitarian feminism has supposedly been delivering...

... The next belief that is thrown at those who disagree with homosexuality is that people are born gay—they can’t help who they are. The only conclusion I can come to is that this silly way of thinking was thought up in an effort to make people feel sorry for gays, thus changing their opinion on the whole concept of homosexuality. I come to this conclusion because the idea that homosexuals are born gay is both factually and medically incorrect. No one is born gay, it is a lifestyle choice. There are many documented cases of homosexuals changing their sexuality...

Republicans are Happier Than DemocratsMen are happier than women, older people are happier than the middle-aged, and Republicans are happier than Democrats. This according to the latest PEW survey as reported by Robert Roy Britt in Live Science. How can this be, with the GOP in disarray? I think it is because conservatives are better able to separate real life from politics and pop culture. We don't derive our identity from movements and causes. Conservatives also tend to be realists, understanding that mankind is irreparably flawed. World peace will never happen and ending poverty is a pipe dream. We are...

For 14 years, my wife, Claire Fitzgerald, and I have worked at Stanford University as counselors assisting hundreds of couples prepare to be married at the campus' Memorial Church. Because Stanford stresses diversity in its student population, the couples come from all over the world - China, Russia, South Africa, Mexico - and from all over the United States. This diversity has sometimes presented us with challenges, but marriage has commonalities: It can enable each partner to grow in generosity, compassion, understanding and patience. To help brides and grooms reflect on each other's personality traits, the university requires they complete...

"While findings about gay men were positive, results for bisexual women in particular were a different story. Carpenter commented: “Behavioral bisexuals (who are overwhelmingly female) do a lot worse. They spend significantly less time studying. They're much less satisfied with their academic work. They think their academic work is less important than do other women. Bisexual women are not having as good a college experience.” However, he added that lesbians “appear to do no worse, no better academically” than their straight female counterparts."

Boys who have a so-called "warrior gene" are more likely to join gangs and also more likely to be among the most violent members and to use weapons, a new study finds. "While gangs typically have been regarded as a sociological phenomenon, our investigation shows that variants of a specific MAOA gene, known as a 'low-activity 3-repeat allele,' play a significant role," said biosocial criminologist Kevin M. Beaver of Florida State University. In 2006, the controversial warrior gene was implicated in the violence of the indigenous Maori people in New Zealand, a claim that Maori leaders dismissed. But it's no...

If we should be learning anything from the Susan Boyle meltdown phenomenon, in the wake of her inpatient treatment for “exhaustion” a mere weeks after coming to prominence, it’s that the average person isn’t cut out for fame. The same holds true for political leaders. What precisely makes one person succeed while another cracks? Susan Boyle lived a quiet, simple country life alongside companions of the mainly feline persuasion, until she was thrust into the spotlight on Britain’s Got Talent and instantly became the focus of fantasy projections by every single fat slob splayed out on the couch with a...

Neuroscientists found woman's partner status relevant for her interest in the opposite sex A study by neuroscientist Heather Rupp and her team found that a woman's partner status influenced her interest in the opposite sex. In the study¹, published in the March issue of Human Nature, women both with and without sexual partners showed little difference in their subjective ratings of photos of men when considering such measures as masculinity and attractiveness. However, the women who did not have sexual partners spent more time evaluating photos of men, demonstrating a greater interest in the photos. No such difference was found...

Teenagers whose parents have a history of depression are at particularly high risk of becoming depressed themselves. Now, a large clinical trial has found that a group cognitive behavioral program that teaches coping and problem-solving skills to such high-risk teenagers can reduce the risk. But, the study also found, the success rate of the prevention program varied greatly depending on the mental health status of the teenagers’ parents at the time they began intervention. The program was much more effective than standard care if the parents were also not depressed when the intervention began. The study was published in this...