Psychology of sex - Total No. of Records in System :: 2032

PSYCHOLOGY OF SEXThe pointsto be attained are that the child's simpleand natural questionsshould be answered simply andnaturally when theyfirst begin to be asked, so that histhoughts may not be arrested, and emotion generated, bythe creation of a mystery. It is by waiting too late thatmischief is liable to be caused. As regards the naked body,similarly, much morbid curiosity may be aroused in thechild who isgrowing up without ever seeing the nakedbodies of children of the opposite sex, and the suddencasual sightof naked adults, for the first time, may sometimesproduce a painful shock. It is desirable that childrenshould be familiar with the sight of each other's nakedbodies, and some parents also adopt the plan of themselvesbathing naked with their children when the latterare still very young. Various risks are thus avoided, whilesuch simplicityand openness tend to delay the developmentof sexual consciousness, and to inhibit the developmentof undesirable curiosities. It may even happen thatwith his nakedthe little boy who is brought up familiarlylittle sister never even so much as discovers that there isany sexual difference of physical conformation. All theinfluences that delay precocioussexual consciousness areof good augury for future development; the wise sexualhygienist realizes that this end cannot be attained by theartificial creation of mysteries.But we must always bear in mind that the attitudetowards the child which isnow becoming recognized aswisest is not yet firmly established. If it is true, as hasbeen lately said, that the child has to create his parents inaccordance with his own needs, it is also true that thesituation thus presentedis not easy to adjust on the basisof our ancient traditions of which the existence mustalways be recognized, so that the child's is far lesspositionsimple than it used to be. It is indeed today peculiarly[140]