Infant and Child Sexuality: A Sociological Perspective - Ipce
Infant and Child Sexuality: A Sociological Perspective - Ipce
Infant and Child Sexuality: A Sociological Perspective - Ipce
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
een aware that autoeroticism--erotic gratification obtained from the<br />
self without the participation of another person--can be present from<br />
the first year of life. Interpersonal awakening comes at different ages<br />
for different persons depending on biological-response capacity <strong>and</strong><br />
maturation, temperamental tendencies (cuddler or non-cuddler, for instance),<br />
<strong>and</strong> experience.<br />
Erotic awakening is a vague <strong>and</strong> mystical concept. What we mean by<br />
it is that someone who previously lacked the capacity for erotic experience<br />
now possesses that capacity. One has “new life,” so to speak--<br />
something is there that was not there before. Puberty is sometimes<br />
looked upon as establishing the biological-response base for the first<br />
erotic event. But we know that the capacity for at least the rudiments<br />
of erotic awakening is present from birth at least in some children.<br />
Erotic awakening comes about when that which is “dormant” or “asleep”<br />
is aroused to action. The experience may be feeding at the breast of<br />
the mother, being h<strong>and</strong>led <strong>and</strong> caressed at a tender age, a first kiss,<br />
or later “falling in love,” first coitus, or first coitus with orgasm.<br />
Many parents consciously or unconsciously treat their offspring as<br />
though the erotic capacity were present from birth, as indeed it is.<br />
Such parents act as though what they do to <strong>and</strong> with the infant or child<br />
will affect the time at which he experiences his erotic awakening <strong>and</strong><br />
that after his awakening he will in fact be a different person than he<br />
was before. This belief no doubt explains much of the style of infant<br />
<strong>and</strong> child care that mothers give their offspring from the first decision--the<br />
decision to suckle or not to suckle the infant--<strong>and</strong> on. And<br />
they are right; erotic awakening as well as socio-sexual awakening--the<br />
beginning of satisfying sexual encounters with others--can come at an<br />
age from infancy on depending on the biological-response capacity or<br />
motivation of the offspring, his temperamental tendencies, <strong>and</strong> his<br />
erotic experiences with others.<br />
The erotic experience need not be tactile. On occasion, a boy of<br />
five or six will report having an erection when he sees or thinks about<br />
a pretty girl. In the following case a five year old girl experiences<br />
sexual satisfaction from looking at the picture of a nude boy. If pictures<br />
of nudes are labeled pornography, then this is the youngest case<br />
I know of where a child is erotically aroused through viewing pornographic<br />
literature. In the first two of the next three cases, two boys<br />
age six report on some aspects of their erotic awakening.<br />
The experience of sexual arousal as a child is<br />
one of my sexual experiences. Whenever my girl<br />
friends <strong>and</strong> I would look at books while playing,<br />
I would always choose the book Little Black<br />
Sambo. The picture I am referring to is that of<br />
the tiger chasing Sambo around the tree as he is<br />
melting into butter. The tiger has previously<br />
taken all of Sambo’s clothes. The sight of the<br />
nude little boy’s rear end is what excited<br />
me.... I would stare at the picture for quite<br />
some time getting a funny feeling the whole<br />
time.... My body would tingle all over <strong>and</strong> my<br />
stomach would seem to have butterflies inside of<br />
it. I loved this new feeling <strong>and</strong> wanted to experience<br />
it over <strong>and</strong> over again.<br />
30