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“Masturbation and Self Esteem”
Annie Reich, M.D.
New York, New York
July 20, 1965 Meeting
On the basis of two clinical examples it was shown that the effects of childhood masturbation may sometimes not only lead to lasting anxiety, guilt feelings and feelings of inferiority but also to those feelings of grandiosity and increased self esteem.
It is the motive of the fantasy and the amount of aggression connected with it that is decisive.
In one case it was shown that the ready gratification of the fantasy led to a later difficulty of the patient in reality adaptation. In fact, this gratification became impossible because the childhood grandiosity was taken over by the superego. The other case demonstrated how the orgastic nature of childhood masturbation developed into lasting feelings of inner magic, license and grandeur which remained untouched by later experiences.
The Motivational Relevance of Hypnosis
Ernest R. Hilgard, PH.D.
Professor of Psychology,