Sexuality and homosexuality in the work of Carlos Alberto Seguin

Abstract

Sexuality has always been a topic of interest both inside academic circles and among the general public. The concept of “normal” in sexuality was related to moral, religious or legal issues until the 19th. Century when it began to be relate to medical concepts and issues. Compared to other psychiatrists of his time, Carlos Alberto Seguin gave great importance to the study of human sexuality. He considered that an imbalanced personality can be directly reflected in his psycho-sexual activity, reason for which, it becomes necessary to carefully inquire about it. “Sexual deviations”, with homosexuality as their paradigm arouse even more interest. The history of homosexuality in the field of psychiatry is complex, some psychiatrists maintained a supportive and less punitive approach, while others played an important role in the medical treatment of homosexual behaviors. Seguin did not consider homosexuality as an illness, although he understood it as something undesirable, opposed to the ideal of heterosexuality. On the basis of his clinical practice, he postulated a classification system of homosexuality, and maintained a sympathetic attitude toward it, even though he did not directly examine the social and cultural opinions about the topic during his life’s work in Peru.