The Overt Homosexual: By Charles W. Socarides. New York and London: Grune & Stratton. 1968. Pp. vii + 245.

In The Overt Homosexual Dr Socarides brings together his impressive work of two decades on the genesis, psychodynamics and psychoanalytic treatment of homosexuality. A great asset of the book is its comprehensive survey of psychoanalytic knowledge concerning homosexuality prior to recent developmental theory. Dr Socarides notes that the focus of much of Freud's research into both male and female homosexuality was on vicissitudes of the Oedipus complex and the ubiquity of castration fears. Throughout his research Freud discussed homosexuality in terms of libidinal and ego development. He also considered whether constitutional factors played an important part in alterations of normal sexual functions, but he did not exclude individual psychological issues in the development of a homosexual fixation. For example, he pointed to the importance of individual experience upon later sexual development such as early seduction or castration threats made upon vulnerable individuals in phase-specific times and the influence of parental constellations upon sexual indentifications. He also brought attention to social factors influencing sexual preferences; for instance, sexual development in various cultures and historical periods and sexual development in current times in unusual setting, such as in war and during incarcerations.

The essential developmental factor in male homosexuality was a strong fixation upon the mother leading to identification with her and a search for themselves as a narcissistic sexual object. Freud also pointed out that the strong fixation led to an incestuous overattachment, castration fears and, as protection, the longed-for narcissistic object choice. He indicated in his formulations the importance such identifications and ego mechanisms had upon later ego development.

Socarides integrates current developmental theory and ego psychology into his conception of homosexuality. The central thesis of the book is the pregenital origin of all overt hom