Pseudohomosexual psychosis in basic military training

The emergence of homosexual anxieties in heterosexual males following a severe blow to masculine self-esteem has been termed pseudohomosexual by Ovesey and has been shown to reflect sexual dependency and power conflicts. This article extends the concept, described largely in neurotic patients, to psychotic reactions occurring in basic trainees following failure to adapt to military life. The military setting is viewed as a culturally specific stress for emergence of pseudohomosexual anxieties in predisposed individuals. Case studies illustrate the power and dependency conflicts, sexual symbolization, projective defenses, and restitutional violence which characterize these patients. The pseudohomosexual psychosis defends the patient against perceiving his inability to effect separation from mother, bear the object loss, and attain cultural manhood.The views presented represent those of the author and are not to be interpreted as representing the Department of Defense or the U.S. Air Force.