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Running brain: Book Review Thomas Meyer SOCWK 330 The review Brief Overview A Son’s Own History is the account of the author’s, Edmund Light, own do it yourself discover of his homosexuality in the 1940’s and fifties in America. A Boy’s Own Story is a first traité in a 3 book series spanning the author’s late childhood during his adulthood. Edmund encounters a brief sexual relationship with Kevin, a slightly younger good friend.

Kevin and Edmund’s closeness is offered as all-natural and untroubled, untouched by internalized homophobia that will later plague youthful Edmund’s your life. I was conscious of the dangerous air grills above all of us, conducting the sounds i was making 2nd floor. Maybe dad was hearing. Or maybe, the same as Kevin, having been unaware of anything but the pleasure spurting up out of his body system and in mine.  (White, 1982, pg. 17) Edmund’s dad does not serve as a good role model. Edmund’s father was an adulterer, who after abandons Edmund’s mother another woman. Edmund’s father abandons his responsibilities leaving the family without his economic support. Edmund acts on his desires and has sexual intercourse with Mr. Beattie, an old school educator of Edmund.

After society pushes the ideals of homophobia about Edmund he decides to choose in Mr. Beattie, therefore turning his back on someone who has demonstrated him love just like his father performed to him and his relatives. A Kid’s Own Tale ends with Edmund even now unable to achieve a positive gay identity. His struggle to come to terms with his homosexuality is not over. Character’s Behavior Edmund’s evolution from adolescence evolved his understanding and popularity of his homosexuality. This individual starts his first observed homosexual encounters with a youthful male in whose family was living with these people.

He will not seem conflicted with the sense of guilt and internalized , externalized homophobia that latter affects him. Book Review “I experienced now. We felt remote to the level of craziness, but with a faint option to drama, to a potential audience and attendant end to loneliness, for basically imagined finish despair I actually pictured that as a great emptying with the theater, a feeling that the joints and bins would never always be peopled again¦ (White, 1982, pg. 136) Edmund desire to fit into his perceived rules of communities forges in him a conflict of character.

He begins to find others intended for sex and affection. He hides his desires by everyone that knows him including a buddy of his because he concerns rejection. In the end of the publication Edmund is definitely questioning the morality and position of faith and society on the issue of homosexuality. Theoretical Analysis One of the best regarded and acknowledged theories of homosexual personality development through Cass. Cass developed a six stage identity development model. Edmund progresses through the stages with this first amount of his autobiography to the third stage.

Towards the end of the book Edmund seems to be still fighting his homosexuality but is at a the conclusion that he could be not the only one that has lgbt tendencies. (Cass, 1984) A psychoanalytic perspective of Edmund’s homosexuality would focus on his relationship along with his father and mother. This approach may issue if Edmund suffered from sexuality identity issues. Edmund telephone calls himself a sissy and girly. Edmund compares himself to his sister whom he recognizes as the athlete in the family that wins his father’s acceptance. Furthermore, Edmund states that whenever he was more youthful he had intimate feelings and desires for his daddy.

Edmund tries to gain the affection of his dad and later authorization of his father. Together to having a great emotionally distant father this individual also had a mother who have seemed keen on being a socialite over as being a mother. These issues can be viewed using traditional Freudian approaches. Book Review Personally, i do not just like the Freudian psychoanalytical perspective mainly because I feel the theories are not properly examined. I are also interested to see how Edmund’s the child years being elevated in an well-off family may well have had a direct impact on how he developed while an individual. I will need some further research to get a better gripe of this issue.

It was suggested within a Sociology course that there is a socioeconomic element difference between new abundant and aged money in terms of the issue of homosexuality. According to the mentor new rich like Edmund’s family wherever less put up with because they do not feel because secure in their economic position and feel a need to get approval coming from society although old cash may just discover homosexuality like a form of eccentricness and they don’t need the approval of society. I actually am continue to seeking a theory to compliment her declaration. Summary Edmund story can be an interesting look into his brain. The publication has the circulation of a common thought procedures.

The story improvements focus and direction at times to explore the history deeper. It is difficult not to always be drawn into the story?nternet site am sure was the intent of the author. I actually am considering how Edmund further developed his personal identification and found terms along with his homosexuality. We are continuing to study the next publication of the series as I believe it will be just as fascinating. I’ve grown within my understanding of the psychosis of guilt and homophobia. I find myself a bit more relaxed with personally and feel for others that have suffered from society’s concept of usual behavior. In lots of ways I saw me in Edmund’s story.

The review Reference: Cass, V. (1984, May). Gay Identity Formation: Testing a Theoretical Model. The Diary of Sexual Research, 20, 143-167. Elizur, Y., , Ziv, M. (2001, Summer). Family Support and Approval, Gay Man Identity Development, and Internal Adjustment: A Path Unit. Family Procedure, 40, 125-144. Linda, G., , Kimmel, D. (1993). Psychological Viewpoints on Lesbian porn and Gay and lesbian Male Experiences.. New York, BIG APPLE: Columbia College or university Press. Troiden, R. (1979). Becoming Homosexual: A Model of Gay Id. Psychiatry, 40, 362-373. Light, E. (1982). A son’s own history. New York: Penguin Books.