Reparative Therapy and Conversion Therapy

Reparative therapy and conversion therapy are techniques that are aimed at changing sexuality from lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ) to heterosexual. These therapies arose in the early 20th century, during a period of time [Page 2850]in which the general consensus toward homosexuality was that an attraction to the same sex was an illness. Starting with the theories of Sigmund Freud and other 20th-century theorists, the perspective became that homosexuality was an illness that could be cured by clinical psychologists with intensive and experimental psychological treatment. By the late 20th century and early 21st century, all major mental health organizations had rejected reparative and conversion therapies; however, religious and antigay groups persist the practice. This entry reviews the historical progression and influential theorists, reviews ...