Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 2: Sexual InversionEllis, Havelock
Science
Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 2: Sexual Inversion
Ellis, Havelock
Sex; Sex (Psychology)
We have to admit, however, that, in the opinion of the latest
physiologists of sex, such as Castle, Heape, and Marshall, each sex
contains the latent characters of the other or recessive sex. Each sex is
latent in the other, and each, as it contains the characters of both
sexes (and can transmit those of the recessive sex) is latently
hermaphrodite. A homosexual tendency may thus be regarded as simply the
psychical manifestation of special characters of the recessive sex,
susceptible of being evolved under changed circumstances, such as may
occur near puberty, and associated with changed metabolism.[128]
William James (_Principles of Psychology_, vol. ii, p. 439)
considered inversion "a kind of sexual appetite of which very
likely most men possess the germinal possibility." Conolly Norman
(Article "Sexual Perversion," Tuke's _Dictionary of Psychological
Medicine_) also stated that "the sexual passion, at its first
appearance, is always indefinite, and is very easily turned in a
wrong direction," and he apparently accounted for inversion by
this fact, and by the precocity of neurotics. Obici and
Marchesini (_Le 'Amicizie' di collegio_, p. 126) refer to the
indeterminate character of the sexual feelings when they first
begin to develop. A correspondent believes that sexual feelings
are undifferentiated in the early years about puberty, but at the
same time considers that school life is to some extent
responsible; "the holidays," he adds, "are sufficiently long to
counteract it, however, provided the boy has sisters and they
have friends; the change from school fare and work to home
naturally results in a greater surplus of nerve-force, and I
think most boys 'fool about' with servants or their sisters'
friends." Moll (_Konträre Sexualempfindung_, 1889, pp. 6 and 356)
does not think it proved that a stage of undifferentiated sexual
feeling always occurs, although we have to recognize that it is
of frequent occurrence. In his later work (1909, _Das Sexualleben
des Kindes_, English translation, _The Sexual Life of the Child_,
ch. iv), Moll remains of the same opinion that a homosexual
tendency is very frequent in normal children, whose later
development is quite normal; it begins between the ages of 7 and
10 (or even at 5) and may last to 20.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account