Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 5: Erotic Symbolism; The Mechanism of Detumescence; The Psychic State in PregnancyEllis, Havelock
Science
Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 5: Erotic Symbolism; The Mechanism of Detumescence; The Psychic State in Pregnancy
Ellis, Havelock
Sex; Sex (Psychology)
At school I took part, with great keenness, in cricket and
foot-ball, and was very ambitious to excel in everything in which
I took an interest, but I always had other tastes as well, which
were more precious to me, for example, the love for science,
history, and poetry. Until I was past 16 years my desire was
simply for coitus, girls and women attracted me only as affording
the means of gratifying this desire; but when I was nearly 17 I
began to regard girls as beautiful objects, apart from this, and
to desire their love and companionship. At the same time it
dawned upon me that life held much of joy in the love of women
and in domestic life--so henceforth I regarded them in a higher
and purer light, and apart from sexual gratification. In fact,
from this period till I was over 20, this idea so dominated my
whole being that the lower side of my nature was entirely held in
subjection and abeyance by it. It was rather repulsive to think
of girls as objects of lust. This state of mind was not brought
about by any romantic attachment or through any acquaintance or
through circumstances. I was living in great seclusion and had no
girl friends. After this period the lower side of my nature woke
up as a giant refreshed with wine, and I underwent for many years
a constant struggle with my nature, in which religion always
triumphed in the end. I never fell into fornication, though
sometimes into the vice of masturbation. These outbursts of
desire were periodic, about ten or fourteen days apart, and would
last several days. I must record also the fact that from the time
this awakening took place my ideal views of woman no longer
seemed incompatible with sexual relations. I noticed that at
about 27 there was a lessening of the desire, but that may have
been due to overwork and consequent nervous exhaustion. I had a
good deal of worry and studied daily for about eight hours. In
any case the impulse was strongest during the years above
mentioned. A little later in life, for a time, I became attached
to a girl, and eventually engaged. I then observed, greatly to my
sorrow and annoyance, that whenever I met this lady, or even
thought of her, erections took place. This was particularly
painful to me, as my thoughts were not of a lustful or impure
character. Sometimes sitting by her at a religious service this
would occur, when certainly my mind was far away from anything of
the kind. That was the first woman ever kissed by me, except of
course members of my immediate family circle. Later on my
thoughts turned to marriage, and there was a great longing at
times for this event to take place. However, as this attachment
afterward became the great sorrow of my life for years, it needs
no more comment. This closes one chapter of my history, and at
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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