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

SEXUAL DEVIATIONinterest in sex matters develops. Occasionally it persistsin the adult sexual impulse; more commonly perhaps,there is a more or less forced repressionof the infantilescatologic interests which may then play the part attributedto them by Freud. But up to puberty, scatologic interestsmay be regarded as normal; at thisagethe childhas still much in common with the primitive mind, which,as mythology and folk-lore show, attributes great importanceto the excretory functions. We may regard theseinterests as merely a phase in normal development. Inso far as they persist in adult life they remain normallyin the background, with a certain range of variation, andstill able to exercise, at all events as regards urination,a legitimate part in the play-functionof sex.Extreme cases have been described, notably of thecoprolagnic or coprophilic tendency. In such a case (onewas recorded in full detail by Moll) an interest in thewhole process of defecation and itsproduct may be sodeveloped that it replaces all normal sexual interests. Inminor degrees of this tendency, we have anal erotism(supposed to be associated with early constipation or theimpulse to restrain evacuation to procure pleasure) ; ithas speciallybeen explored by psycho-analysts,who regardit as based on a primary tendency of childhood, which,when after childhood it is repressed, may lead to psychicand whentraits of orderliness, frugality, even stinginess;not repressed lead to other psychictraits the reverse ofthese. This is a matter for further investigation. Hamiltontook it into consideration, and found ten persons (nineanal erotism butwomen and one man) who denied earlyhad early constipation and showed in an unusually largeproportion stinginess, orderliness, sadism, masochism,hoarding, and extravagance; but these results were tooconfused and contradictory to support speculations as to