Eryx Aegeus Petalas, Ph.D. (
Born on
August 12, 1896 in Agrinio,
Greece --
Died on
November 9, 1973 in Lamia, Greece) was a
Greek psychologist whose theories and
ideas were
scorned and
rejected by most of his
contemporaries in
psychology. The
denial and
dismissal of Petalas'
claims lies in the fact that he did not
provide sufficient scientific evidence for his most
unusual claims. Consequently, psychologists placed Petalas in the same league as
Immanuel Velikovsky, as regards
contemptible ideas. Some of what he taught included the following:
1. Homosexual behavior is
innate and
inherited through
genes. The innate
tendency to sexually
crave persons of one's own sex, in turn, can be
supported and
strengthened through
nurture,
environmental factors and
social factors. Petalas
believed it is
impossible to
convert someone from homosexual to
heterosexual (from
gay to
straight) and
vice versa. The
biologist/
sexologist Alfred Kinsey concurred with some of Petalas' theories on homosexuality. (Theorized by Petalas in 1931).
2. The tendency to be
indulge in
sexual promiscuity and/or
infidelity is innate and inherited through genes. This tendency, in turn, can be supported and strengthened through nurture, environmental factors and social factors. (Theorized by Petalas in 1936)
3. No one can be "
cured" of a
paraphilia, such as
pedophilia or
zoophilia.
Serial rapists and overly
aggressive violent men should be
regarded as
mentally ill persons that can't be cured, instead of as
malicious criminals or
malevolent villains. Petalas believed such people could be
psychiatrically treated and subdued (through
incarceration,
castration, etc.) but never actually "cured". (Theorized by Petalas in 1939)
4. There
exists both a "
rational"
fear of
police or
law enforcement, as well as an "
irrational" fear of police or law enforcement. He taught that it was
possible for someone to irrationally fear police and
secret police. (Theorized by Petalas in 1941)
5. The tendency to
consume euphoric substances to the
point of becoming
addicted, and the tendency to
drink alcoholic beverages to the point of becoming an
alcoholic are innate and inherited through genes. These tendencies, in turn, can be supported and strengthened through nurture, environmental factors and social factors. (Theorized by Petalas in 1952)
Petalas died in November 1973 at the
age of 77. During the year of Petalas'
death, the
American Psychiatric Association (APA)
removed
homosexuality from its
list of paraphilias after becoming
convinced that homosexuality is
normal sexual behavior, although Petalas had absolutely
nothing to do with the APA's
decision.
Eryx Petalas' theories regarding a genetically inherited tendency to be sexually
promiscuous or to become an alcoholic or drug addict are still
controversial issues
today. Petalas' theories on the existence of a "police phobia", which he
christened
astynomiaphobia, has been, and
continues to be, under
intense debate,
especially among behavior
specialists in
Europe and the
Middle East.