Childhood Phases of MaturityIn this ground-breaking work, leading Austrian sexologist Ernest Borneman describes each phase of the psychosexual development of children from conception to age eight. Based on extensive research, Childhood Phases of Maturity overturns the prevalent assumption that children are asexual innocents, for whom sexuality is an inconceivable aspect of life until the onsetof puberty. In fact, Borneman argues, the opposite is true: sexuality is indisputably a fact of human development from concption; it manifests itself in children in various ways, including their games, rich fantasy life, need for skin contact, and masturbation. Research shows that the natural expression of sexuality in childhood is vital to the later healthy development of adult sexuality. Borneman divides his discussion of each successive age group into two sections: the first describes healthy sexual development at a particular age; the second examines the pathologies resulting from aberrations in sexual growth at that age. Borneman demonstrates that the roots of adult neuroses and paraphilias can often be traced back to disturbances in sexual development during childhood. Perhaps the most important influence on a child's psychosexual well-being is the parents' attitudes toward their own sexuality. Childhood Phases of Maturity is an authoritative, clearly written reference book, which will serve parents, educators, and health-care professionals as a valuable source of information on the sexual developmental psychology of children. |
Contents
Foreword by Vern Bullough | 11 |
From Conception to Birth | 33 |
First Month | 49 |
Copyright | |
11 other sections not shown
Common terms and phrases
active adolescence adulthood adults age-specific already ambivalence anal phase anal stage appears aware become begin birth bladder body language boys breast certainly chil child childhood sexual chromosomes coitus conscience desire developmental developmental psychology disorders dren early embryo emotional especially experience fantasies father feces feel female fifth fixation genital girls gratification hand human infancy age infants later libidinous libido love object Mahler male Margaret Mahler masculinity masturbation maturity month mother or caregiver narcissism narcissistic neoteny neuroses newborn occurs oedipal Oedipus complex oral phase oral stage parents or caregivers Pathology pedologists penis penis envy period persons physical pleasure prenatal psychical Psychoanalyse psychosexual puberty react regressions relationship René Spitz result separation sex education sex partner sex pedologists sexual development sexual intercourse social order somatic stress sucking symptoms teachers third tion toilet training unconscious urethral weaning women Y chromosomes Zeitschr