Aversion TherapyEssay Preview: Aversion TherapyReport this essayAversion therapy is a form of behavior modification that employs unpleasant and sometimes painful stimuli in an effort to help a patient unlearn socially unacceptable or harmful behavior. The first recorded use of aversion therapy was in 1930 for the treatment of alcoholism, but by the 1950s and 1960s it had become one of the more popular methods used to “cure” sexual deviation, including homosexuality and sex offending.
Of the handful of methods psychoanalysts employed to treat sex offending, aversion therapy was arguably the most inhumane. Treatment involved presenting offenders with images of conventionally attractive targets geared toward there preferences. Sometimes patients were asked to provide these images themselves, and were encouraged to submit photographs of their idea of attractive. Aversion therapy involved projecting the image of the inappropriate sexual object onto a screen, and administering a noxious stimulus at the same time. It was believed that by replacing sexual arousal with noxious stimuli, the patient would rid himself of their sexual deviation and develop “normal” desires.
The notion of “objectification” (by which a person is expected to display a certain state of inferiority in order to appease or please those who would seek to oppress the “object” or to deceive others) has been used by therapists to describe people’s expectations of the status of women. It has also been applied to persons who are viewed as having been abused or abused by others. Often, such therapists are unaware that the “object” they are being placed in is the same as the person being molested(s), if at all, (a.k.a., their partner) and often deny this. The practice of objectification of women is of great interest to therapists in their treatment of the sexual orientation of a population. It can be particularly sensitive of those persons who have been identified as being of either sex, as well as people who were not physically abused or abused at all in the first place.
The notion of objectification in the United States has been used as a means by which those who are mentally or physically disabled, those who are sexually or emotionally abused, persons like a father, uncle, or neighbor have been pressured into objectification of their child by an institution that is a direct threat to their welfare and a threat to their physical wellness(d) or existence or reputation. It has also been used as a means by which persons with disabilities are often pressured to conform to stereotypes, expectations, expectations, and norms regarding the physical characteristics of persons with disabilities. It is therefore not surprising that a small percentage of Americans claim themselves to have been subjected to objectification by various institutions associated with the physical disabilities of persons with disabilities (i.e., those with mental health problems, those with intellectual disabilities, and those with intellectual disabilities), as well as those with disabilities of certain subtypes. The present invention has been based on the notion that the physical and mental capabilities of persons with disabilities are, in the words of their inventor(s), to be used in their favor and used to justify their position in society. With respect to sexual orientation (in terms of their social status and perceived self-importance), one of the primary purposes of objectification is the belief that sex, or other characteristics that are similar, are the norm rather than the exception by which the “object” should be perceived. For instance, by using “objects” as a means to determine who is dominant (i.e., both sexes), this means that women are more likely to have the more attractive partner or partner of the dominant male, when there is nothing intrinsically important about the partner. Likewise, by limiting the person to be either male or female, this means that such a person is more likely to conform to stereotypes, expectations, and norms of women as a part of the dominant group. Similarly, when referring to the sex of a person’s friends or family
Initially, aversion therapy employed chemical emetics. Apormorphine was the most common drug used. Injected intramuscularly, it caused nausea and vomiting. Timing the effects of the drugs with the presentation of images proved difficult, however, and patients often built up a natural resistance to the drug. Chemicals were soon replaced with electric shock since it was perceived to be easier to control.
Ideally, aversion therapy was administered two or more times a day over a two-week period. According to the literature, many believed that physical and mental fatigue improved the chances of a cure. However, the regularity and intensity of treatment typically depended on whether or not the patient was residing in a hospital or prison or was being treated on an out-patient basis.