Pro Gay Marriage and Psychological Theories - Essay Example

Pro Gay Marriage and Psychological Theories of Pro Gay Marriage and Psychological Theories Pro gay marriage and the debate which emanates from it can be described through theories in psychology and social behavior. The justification for gay marriage and the understanding of gay people in relation to their personality, cognition, development and social interaction is presented in this paper in conjunction to various psychological theories. Motivation and behavior are linked to the hierarchy of needs as postulated by Maslow.

In relation to security and physical safety needs, individuals are motivated by ability to take care of bodily needs and freedom from pain (Gambrel & Cianci, 2003). In this regard, the debate on gay marriage requires being objective by considering that all individuals have a right fulfilling their physical and security needs through freedom of sexual expression. The second level within Maslow’s theory of motivation postulates that individuals have needs of safety from psychological or physical harm.

In relation to this, gay marriage is therefore a way in which people are freed from the any form of psychological discomfort that would emanate from lack of sexual expression. More significantly is the third level of Maslow’s motivation theory which describes the need to love and be loved (Gambrel & Cianci, 2003). Acceptance and respect are also elements of the Maslow’s motivation theory which are used to justify gay marriage. Perpetual organization theory ascribes relationships of various elements or features as being perceived in relation to the alternative relationships (Lachmann & Cees, 2007).

This theory therefore reveals the cause of the divergent perceptions which the society has for gay marriage and the differences thereof. Issues in perpetual organization such as segmentation and grouping, segregation and perpetual coupling represent expression of perceptions by members of the society (Lachmann & Cees, 2007). In accordance to the issue of gay marriage, the manner in which gay couples are treated can be analyzed in relation to the components of the perpetual organization theory.

Nonetheless, gay couples must not be segregated but given an opportunity to form perpetual coupling as it is within their civil rights. The Cognitive theory of perception enables an understanding of personality in relation to autobiographical memory (Gick, 2003). According to this theory, the memory of what happened to an individual while young has a significant influence on his or her personality later in life. Through the cognitive theory of perception therefore, we are able to understand the concept of gay marriage and the personality of gay couples which is associated with their sexuality.

It can be argued that the autobiographical memory that gay couples have on their early life has a role to play in their sexual orientation. In this sense, it is true to point out that an individual should not be judged upon what happened to him or her in the early years of life. This is because people have no control of the social environment in which they are born and spend the early years of their life. B. F Skinner’s theory of operant conditioning stipulates that response to stimulus or events plays the central role in learned behavior (Staats, 1996).

The behavior which is exhibited by gay people is therefore argued to be motivated by the social behavior which was learned by them within their social environment. If gay people find their sexuality as rewarding or positive enforcer, gay marriage can therefore be justified. Gay marriage in this case can be seen as a reinforcing situation for gay people because it causes an emanation of responses which these individual desire. The operant conditioning theory of learning therefore acts to make us understand the behavior of gay people as learned responses in addition to providing a justification for gay marriage.

The theory of cognitive structualism is applicable in the understanding social views and understanding of issues within the society (Staats, 1996). Structualism as a concept within the cognitive theory postulates that intellectual development occurs sequentially. The views of an individual are based in their intellectual development. When individual views are combined, a societal view emanates. The world view of the social issues related to gay marriage can therefore be understood via the theory of cognitive structuralism.

The intellectual and social conflicts which are associated to gay marriage can thus be a basis comprehending the reaction that the society has for gay marriage. Cognitive dissonance theory is a psychological and social theory through which conflicting cognitions such as values, ideas, beliefs and emotions are described in line with the discomfort which arises therein (Staats, 1996). The reactions which are expressed by the members of the society on gay marriages are diverse. For example some people show surprise while others show signs of guilt.

Other reactions such as embarrassment and anger have also been attributed to gay marriage. These reactions are understood and described effectively within the postulates of cognitive dissonance theory. Nonetheless, it is not justifiable for the rest of the society to make gay people to feel guilt of their civic right for sexual expression in marriage. The psychosexual theory as postulated by Sigmund Freud is important in the definition of individual personalities (Garcia, 1995). The psychosexual theory has been linked to gay people.

This theory is used to describe the social consequences of gay children who grow in heterosexual families. The social environment where people grow defines what they consider to be a social norm and what is socially unacceptable. It is therefore through the psychosexual theory of development that the personality of gay people is described. This is because most gay people depict shy or tendencies of guilty due to the fact that during their stages of development they were meant to belief in what was considered to be societal norm and what was not.

It is in the light of the above reflections and discussions upon psychological and behavioral theories that the justification for gay marriages is conclusive. References Gambrel, P. A., & Cianci, R. (2003). Maslows hierarchy of needs: Does it apply in a collectivist culture. Journal of Applied Management and Entrepreneurship, 8(2), 143-161 Garcia, J. L. (1995). Freuds psychosexual stage conception: A developmental metaphor for counselors. Journal of Counseling and Development: JCD, 73(5), 498 Gick, E. (2003). Cognitive theory and moral behavior: The contribution of F. A. Hayek to business ethics.

Journal of Business Ethics, 45(1), 165-165. Lachmann, T., & Cees, V. L. (2007). Goodness takes effort: Perceptual organization in dual-task settings. Psychological Research, 71(2), 152-69 Staats, A. W. (1996). Psychological behaviorism and personality: A multilevel unified approach from basic to applied. New York: Springer