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Joseph Nicolosi (January 24, 1947 – March 8, 2017) was an American clinical
psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how indi ...
who advocated and practised "reparative therapy", a form of the
pseudoscientific Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable claim ...
treatment of
conversion therapy Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms. In contrast to evidence-based medicine and cli ...
that he claimed could help people overcome or mitigate their homosexual desires and replace them with heterosexual ones. Nicolosi was a founder and president of the
National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality The National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), also known as the NARTH Institute, is a US organization that promotes conversion therapy, a pseudoscientific practice used in attempts to change the sexual orientation of p ...
(NARTH). Medical institutions warn that conversion therapy is ineffective and may be harmful, and that there is no evidence that sexual orientation can be changed by such treatments. Nicolosi described his ideas in ''Reparative Therapy of Male Homosexuality: A New Clinical Approach'' (1991) and three other books. Nicolosi proposed that
homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...
is often the product of a condition he described as gender-identity deficit caused by an alienation from, and perceived rejection by, formative individuals of the subject's gender which interrupts normal masculine or feminine identification process.Joseph Nicolosi, Ph.D., ''Reparative Therapy of Male Homosexuality'', Rowman & Littlefield, 2004, He also held that adaptation to gender trauma during formative years could alienate a child from their "fundamental nature." His goal was to restore "that which functions in accordance with its biological design.”


Biography

Nicolosi held a
Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
from the
California School of Professional Psychology The California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) was founded in 1969 by the California Psychological Association. It is part of the for-profit Alliant International University where each campus's Clinical Psychology Psy.D. and Ph.D. prog ...
. He was a founding member of the
National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality The National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), also known as the NARTH Institute, is a US organization that promotes conversion therapy, a pseudoscientific practice used in attempts to change the sexual orientation of p ...
(NARTH) and was its president for some time. NARTH is a professional association that promotes the acceptance of
conversion therapy Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms. In contrast to evidence-based medicine and cli ...
. He was an advisor to, and officer of, NARTH. NARTH was for some time based in Encino at Nicolosi's own "
Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest who was an influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism; he is known wi ...
Psychological Clinic". According to the
Southern Poverty Law Center The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, it is known for its legal cases against white su ...
, "NARTH presents its methods as based on scientific fact rather than religious belief". Nicolosi was a
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
. In 2009,
Royal College of Psychiatrists The Royal College of Psychiatrists is the main professional organisation of psychiatrists in the United Kingdom, and is responsible for representing psychiatrists, for psychiatric research and for providing public information about mental health ...
criticized Nicolosi's appearance at a conference in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, saying that: "there is no sound scientific evidence that sexual orientation can be changed" and "furthermore, so-called treatments of homosexuality create a setting in which prejudice and discrimination can flourish." Nicolosi gave an interview with the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
in order to defend his opinions, claiming: "we have a great deal of evidence". The conference, at which Nicolosi was a
keynote A keynote in public speaking is a talk that establishes a main underlying theme. In corporate or commercial settings, greater importance is attached to the delivery of a keynote speech or keynote address. The keynote establishes the framework fo ...
speaker, was organized by Anglican Mainstream, a conservative religious charity, and by evangelical conservative lobby group
Christian Action Research and Education Christian Action, Research and Education (CARE) is a social policy charity based in the United Kingdom, with offices in London, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Founding and programmes CARE began in 1971 as the Nationwide Festival of Light, but wa ...
, and its organizers professed to be "very worried about the continued progress of the gay ... agenda". At the conference, Nicolosi performed "therapy" on a man live in front of the audience, a sight
Patrick Strudwick Patrick Strudwick (born 1977) is a British journalist. Journalism Strudwick is currently the Special Correspondent at The i Paper, and the former UK LGBT editor for the news website Buzzfeed. He was named 11th most influential gay person in Br ...
described as "like I was watching a
blood sport A blood sport or bloodsport is a category of sport or entertainment that involves wikt:bloodshed, bloodshed. Common examples of the former include combat sports such as cockfighting and dog fighting, and some forms of hunting and fishing. Acti ...
". In 2012, California passed a law that banned the provision of conversion therapy to minors, including some of Nicolosi's existing patients. Nicolosi was named as a plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging the law on constitutional grounds but the law, effectively barring Nicolosi's clinic from taking on patients under the age of 18, was subsequently upheld. The Supreme Court later explicitly referenced this case. In 2013, Nicolosi appeared in
Stephen Fry Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director and writer. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as one half of the comic double act Fry and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring ...
's television documentary '' Stephen Fry: Out There,'' which examined different attitudes to homosexuality. Nicolosi informed Fry that "sixty percent of our clients now are teenagers. Parents call up in a panic because they found out their son is looking at gay porn, and, of course we have to get him into therapy". After the segment, Fry says that "for all his talk of success, Nicolosi is unable to find one of his ex-gays to talk to us". Fry then speaks with Daniel Gonzales, a former client of Nicolosi's who did not have success in changing his sexual orientation. Gonzales condemns the therapy. From 2013, protests were raised in
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
over the sale of three of Nicolosi's books titled: ''I Want to Stop Being Gay'' (), ''How to Prevent Homosexuality'' (), and ''Gender Confusion in Childhood'' (). Major Spanish department store
El Corte Inglés El Corte Inglés S.A. (), headquartered in Madrid, is the biggest department store group in Europe and ranks third worldwide. Its primary source of sales is from department stores, followed by internet sales. It is a family business, with most s ...
was threatened with a boycott by the United Left coalition over its stocking of the works, but continued to market them in 2014. Nicolosi died in March 2017 at the age of 70 from flu complications. On July 2, 2019, leading online book retailer
Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...
removed several of Nicolosi's books from their catalog, including the 2002 publication ''A Parent's Guide to Preventing Homosexuality'', following a
Change.org Change.org is a worldwide nonprofit petition website, based in California, US, operated by the San Francisco-based company of the same name, which has over 400 million users and offers the public the ability to promote the petitions they care abo ...
petition requesting that they do so. Nicolosi's
NARTH The National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), also known as the NARTH Institute, is a US organization that promotes conversion therapy, a pseudoscientific practice used in attempts to change the sexual orientation of pe ...
continues to exist as "The Alliance for Therapeutic Choice and Scientific Integrity", headed by his son Joseph Nicolosi Jr. Nicolosi's son Joseph Nicolosi, Jr. coined the term "reintegrative therapy" for his own approach which he says is distinct from conversion therapy.


Effectiveness

In 2017, psychology professor
Warren Throckmorton Earl Warren Throckmorton (born 1957) is a professor of psychology at Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania. He developed the Sexual Identity Therapy Framework and was a creator of the documentary ''I Do Exist'', about people who say the ...
said that Nicolosi had earlier been offered the chance to assess the viability of his therapy by
J. Michael Bailey John Michael Bailey (born July 2, 1957) is an American psychologist, behavioural geneticist, and professor at Northwestern University best known for his work on the etiology of sexual orientation. He maintains that sexual orientation is heavily ...
, a professor of psychology best known for his sexual orientation research. Bailey informed Nicolosi that he could bring his patients to his lab at
Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...
to test their automatic responses to erotic cues, i.e. men versus women. Throckmorton wrote that "Nicolosi never took him up on the offer" and that Bailey confirmed the offer was still open. Bailey told Throckmorton that "pre (or even mid) treatment
rain Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...
scans compared with post-treatment scans would help to offset the lack of a control group". In a prominent 2016 academic review, Bailey also critiqued Nicolosi's claims of success, noting that earlier research by
Kurt Freund Kurt Freund (17 January 1914 – 23 October 1996) was a Czech-Canadian physician and sexologist best known for developing the penile plethysmograph (a measurement of sexual arousal in males), research studies in pedophilia, and for the "courts ...
found that men's claims of sexual re-orientation were not supported by phallometric assessments, which measure penile blood-flow in response to imagery. Additionally Bailey notes that Conrad and Wincze found that physiological arousal measurements did not support the positive reports of men who had participated in sexual-reorientation therapy. They were still attracted to and aroused by men. Like all forms of
conversion therapy Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms. In contrast to evidence-based medicine and cli ...
, reparative therapy is
pseudoscientific Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable claim ...
, based on faulty assumptions, opposed by mainstream medical and psychological practitioners, and potentially harmful to patients. Some states have enacted laws against conversion therapy.


See also

*
Sexual orientation Sexual orientation is an enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. These attractions are generall ...
*
Sexual orientation change efforts Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms. In contrast to evidence-based medicine and cli ...


Publications

*Nicolosi, Joseph (1991). ''Reparative Therapy of Male Homosexuality: A New Clinical Approach''. Jason Aronson, Inc. . *Nicolosi, Joseph (1993). ''Healing Homosexuality: Case Stories of Reparative Therapy''. Jason Aronson, Inc. . * * *Nicolosi, Joseph & Nicolosi, Linda Ames (2002). ''A Parent's Guide to Preventing Homosexuality''. InterVarsity Press. . * * *Nicolosi, Joseph (2009). ''Shame and Attachment Loss: The Practical Work of Reparative Therapy''. InterVarsity Press *Nicolosi, Joseph (2017). ''A Parent's Guide to Preventing Homosexuality'', revised edition. Liberal Mind Publishers


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicolosi, Joseph 1947 births 2017 deaths 20th-century American psychologists American Roman Catholics Conversion therapy practitioners Deaths from influenza Ex-gay movement Sexual orientation change efforts Psychology writers on LGBT topics