Torch, Fall/Winter 2007

14 TORCH H uman behavior is very complex. Few human behaviors have a single cause. Instead, behavior is the product of a combination of biological, psychological, and environmental factors. We call this phenomenon “multidimensionality,” and it is true of not only sexual behavior but also most other behaviors. If we ask what causes a person to be obese, or aggressive, or depressed, or friendly, or successful, the answer would always be that a variety of factors converge to make a person that way. We do not know the cause of homosexuality because it probably does not have a single cause. We must, therefore, look for multiple causes and figure out how they combine. This is known as “integration.” Look at the cookie recipe on the next page. To produce delicious cookies, we need a variety of ingredients in the proper amounts (note that all do not contribute equally) combined in a specific developmental sequence. (If you bake the ingredients separately before you mix them together, In Search of a Cause by Charles Dolph, Ph.D. We do not know the cause of homosexuality. Yes, sin is the root cause of all that is wrong in our world, and it ultimately explains every battle with temptation, every evil deed in our culture, and every visit to a cemetery. Accepting that sin is behind it all, we still wrestle for an explanation: why will some struggle with homosexual attraction and others never will? This article explores current theories and research “in search of a cause.”