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Clinical evidence shows several meanings of circumcision. Loss of the prepuce frequently means loss of body ego. In the unconscious, the trauma of birth and the trauma of circumcision are directly related. The loss of body ego re-enforces the potential loss of other parts of the ego and precludes good object relationships. Circumcision, 'the barbaric rite' several days after birth, represents a traumatic situation, and therefore relation to the love object and ego ideal is