Infant and Child Sexuality: A Sociological Perspective - Ipce
Infant and Child Sexuality: A Sociological Perspective - Ipce
Infant and Child Sexuality: A Sociological Perspective - Ipce
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that there was a “place in mommy’s body where<br />
daddy’s penis fitted into place” <strong>and</strong> that was how<br />
the sperm <strong>and</strong> egg came together. Throughout my<br />
childhood all the body parts including the sexual<br />
organs <strong>and</strong> all the body functions were never<br />
referred to by substitute “baby talk” names.<br />
To get some perspective on the degree of permissiveness or repressiveness<br />
of parents, Sears (Sears, et al, 1957) tabulated mothers’ reported<br />
evaluations of their reactions to sex play among children <strong>and</strong><br />
the severity of the pressure brought to bear on children. Only two percent<br />
rated themselves as “entirely permissive” <strong>and</strong> an additional fourteen<br />
percent of the mothers reported that they had made no attempt to<br />
stop sex play when they encountered it. Miller <strong>and</strong> Swanson (1958) found<br />
in Detroit that about the same number of mothers said they had done<br />
something about the child touching his genitals as said they had not<br />
done anything. Of the seventeen percent of the population who said<br />
their children had touched their genitals <strong>and</strong> they had done something<br />
about it, five percent diverted the child’s attention, seven percent<br />
used gentle physical prevention or talked to the child, two percent<br />
punished the child physically <strong>and</strong> two percent used shame or ridicule.<br />
In a recent interview study (Lindahl, 1973), a small r<strong>and</strong>om sample of<br />
mothers in Minnesota were asked what they had done when they noticed<br />
their child “h<strong>and</strong>ling his genitals--playing with himself.” The answers<br />
ranged from complete permissiveness to complete restrictiveness. Except<br />
for five percent of the responses that could not be categorized,<br />
twenty-nine percent were completely restrictive while sixty-six percent<br />
gave answers that could be categorized as slightly to entirely<br />
permissive, with twenty-four percent falling in the entirely permissive<br />
category.<br />
There is much variation from society to society as well as within<br />
societies as to permissiveness of children <strong>and</strong> adults. A permissive attitude<br />
is taken toward autogenital stimulation of children <strong>and</strong> adolescents<br />
in most societies, while adult masturbation is generally frowned<br />
upon. In some societies masturbation is condemned regardless of the individual’s<br />
age, but in many societies it is believed that for the young<br />
boy or girl masturbation is a natural <strong>and</strong> normal activity. Among the<br />
Hopi <strong>and</strong> Sirion, masturbation passes practically unnoticed during early<br />
childhood, adults taking a tolerant <strong>and</strong> permissive attitude toward all<br />
sexual behavior at least until the age of puberty. (Ford <strong>and</strong> Beach,<br />
1951, p. 188).<br />
Among the Pukapukans of Polynesia, where parents simply ignore the<br />
sexual activity of young children, boys <strong>and</strong> girls masturbate freely <strong>and</strong><br />
openly in public. Among the Nama Hottentot no secret is made of autogenital<br />
stimulation in early childhood. Young Trobri<strong>and</strong> children also engage<br />
in a variety of sexual activities. In the absence of adult<br />
control, typical forms of amusement for Trobri<strong>and</strong> girls <strong>and</strong> boys include<br />
manual <strong>and</strong> oral stimulation of the genitals <strong>and</strong> simulated coitus.<br />
Young Seniang children publicly simulate adult copulation without<br />
being reproved; older boys masturbate freely <strong>and</strong> play sexual games with<br />
little girls, but the boys are warned not to copulate on the grounds<br />
that this behavior would weaken them. Lesu children playing on the<br />
beach give imitations of adult sexual intercourse, <strong>and</strong> adults regard<br />
this as a natural <strong>and</strong> normal game. On Tikopia small boys induce erections<br />
in themselves through manual manipulation, <strong>and</strong> this is ignored<br />
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