A new generation of physicians, not brought up in the midst of the
prejudices of the older, will further the psychologic investigation of
the neuroses.
Naturally the high school must change its attitude towards the problem
of sex. Departments of Sexology and Psychotherapy are necessary to
instruct the young physicians in the essentials of sexual life and its
morbid changes, in order to prepare the future practitioner to deal
effectively with these troubles, heretofore erroneously looked upon as
hopeless. The next volumes in this Series will prove how little the
paraphilias are inborn and how much they are the result of training and
environment. But what is formulated through faulty training may be
corrected by proper reëducation, even though the hold of infantilism
appears unconquerable.
I have called the paraphilias _the struggle between spinal cord and
brain_. They are, even more truly, _the Struggle of Child against
Adult_. For at bottom these neuroses are but infantilisms struggling for
survival. The adult fights against the child; the adult race, ripe for
monosexuality, fights against its childhood manifesting itself in
bisexuality and sadism. The physician can see to it that the warfare is
carried on in humane fashion and with means worthy of civilization. He
can turn the hidden into an open warfare. It means overcoming the
evil—or that which the moralists call evil—by meeting it face to face.
He who looks for more than a few words on the subject of the prophylaxis
of homosexuality and onanism will be disappointed. I believe it is best
that we turn our attention to these themes only when we are called upon
to do so in our professional capacity. I advise all parents and
educators not to watch whether a child masturbates or not. The child
quits the habit when it finds other ways for releasing the tension. And
our analyses have abundantly shown us that it is almost impossible to
prevent masturbation. The evil effects produced upon the child
witnessing marital bickerings, the household inspiration it receives
with regard to judgment-feelings about women and men, the decisive
manner in which parents affect it when they transfer their conflicts on
the child,—these capital facts the life histories of homosexuals given
above illustrate very clearly for any one willing to look squarely at
the truth. We do not as yet appreciate how careful we must be in our
relations with the children. Our educators are still guilty of a serious
blunder when they conceive their duty to be to instill goodness in the
child through the instrumentality of fear. There are only two
educational levers: one’s own example and—love. The healthiest children
come from happy marriages. It is love that determines whether a marriage
shall be a happy one and whether the offspring will be healthy or weak.
The unconscious sexual instinct, manifesting itself in love is the guide
for the regeneration of the human race.[53] Social conditions favoring
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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