Charles Sokaraydes American psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, sexologist, teacher, author of a number of scientific works and a prominent figure in the anti-homosexual movement. Date of Birth: 24.01.1922 Country: USA

Charles Socarides: American Psychiatrist and Anti-Homosexuality Activist

Charles Socarides was an American psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, sexologist, educator, and author. He was a prominent figure in the anti-homosexuality movement and developed theories surrounding the psychological roots of homosexuality. His work focused on the belief that "homosexuality is built on a fear of the mother, an aggressive attack against the father, filled with aggression, destruction, and self-deception" (quoted from Ronald Bayer's book "Homosexuality and American Psychiatry: The Politics of Diagnosis," 1981).

Socarides claimed that nearly half of those who engaged in homosexual acts had accompanying schizophrenia, paranoia, latent/pseudoneurotic schizophrenia, or were in the grip of manic-depressive reactions. He developed a detailed methodology for "curing" homosexuality based on these theories and claimed a success rate of over 50%. However, his work faced criticism from the psychiatric community in the United States and the American Psychiatric Association, as Socarides based his conclusions solely on the study of patients of psychoanalysts and psychiatric clinics, and then applied his findings to the entire homosexual population. In response to such criticism, Socarides argued that he followed strict scientific principles of psychopathology, which did not require the consideration of the healthy population.

Socarides was married and divorced three times before marrying his fourth and final wife, Clare, in 1988. He had a son and a daughter from his first marriage, with the daughter passing away in 1991. His second marriage produced two more children, while his third marriage was childless. Socarides had one more child with his fourth wife.

Charles Socarides passed away on December 25, 2005, at the age of 83, due to acute heart failure. Despite his developed theories and practices, Socarides was unable to change the sexual orientation of his gay son, Richard. Richard became an advocate for gay rights, working in the Clinton administration and later heading the corporate communications department at "New Line Cinema."

Here are some of Charles Socarides' notable works:
- "Homosexuality: A Freedom Too Far" (1995)
- "Homosexuality" (1978)
- "On Sexuality: Psychoanalytic Observations" (co-authored with Toksoz B. Karasu, 1979)
- "Beyond Sexual Freedom" (1975)
- "Work and Its Inhibitions: Psychoanalytic Essays" (co-authored with Selma Kramer, 1975)
- "The World of Emotions: Clinical Studies of Affects and Their Expression" (1977)
- "The Homosexualities: Reality, Fantasy, and the Arts" (co-authored with Vamik D. Volkan, 1990)
- "The Overt Homosexual" (1968)
- "The Mind of the Paedophile: Psychoanalytic Perspectives" (co-authored with Loretta L. Loeb, 2004)
- "Preoedipal Origin and Psychoanalytic Therapy of Sexual Perversions" (1988)
- "Homosexuality: Psychoanalytic Therapy" (1989)
- "The Homosexualities and the Therapeutic Process" (co-authored with Vamik D. Volkan, 1991)
- "Objects of Desire: The Sexual Deviations" (co-authored with Abraham Freedman, 2002)
- "A Day at a Time: Daily Reflections for Recovering People" (co-authored with James Jennings, 1994)
- "Dance-Movement Therapy: Mirror of Our Selves: A Psychoanalytic Approach" (co-authored with Elaine V. Siegel, 1984)
- "Sexual Politics and Scientific Logic: The Issue of Homosexuality" (1992)