(1938). Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 7:338-356 The Incidence and Character of Masturbation Threats in a Group of Problem Children The great volume of scientific literature on the subject of masturbation is evidence of man's repeated endeavor to solve the problems related to this particular means of genital excitation. Most of the earlier writings were concerned with such questions as the incidence of masturbation with respect to age, sex, and culture, the methods by which masturbation is practiced, whether it is normal or perverse, the harmful physical, mental, and moral consequences of the habit, and finally its treatment. Since the time when Freud began making his profound contributions to our understanding of emotional problems, however, there has been a change in emphasis in the literature on masturbation. Students in this field have begun to show an increasing interest in such phases of the problem as what masturbation means to the individual in terms of his attitude toward it, the social and psychological factors influencing those attitudes, and the relation of his feeling about masturbation to suc [This is a summary or excerpt from the full text of the book or article. The full text of the document is available to subscribers.] |
