The Impact of Early Sexual Discovery on Mood, Defensive Organization, and Symbolization

In this paper we reported observations on the development of a child with a congenital defect that required repeated medical examinations and the constant wearing of a corrective device during her first year of life. The resulting early disturbance in body schematization and in the developing mother-child relationship distorted and delayed the separation-individuation process and interfered with the establishment of an optimally stable maternal mental representation. Yet, with the development of free locomotion, there was a spurt in individuation and in symbolic development between Ruth's 14th and 17th months, as evident in the disappearance of stranger anxiety, the emergence of symbolic play, and in her enlarging verbal capacity. This ongoing individuation process brought her in due time to the awareness of anal, urinary, and genital anatomy and function, along with their appropriate sensations.

In this already vulnerable child, however, the discovery of the sexual anatomical difference and sexual sensations brought with it overwhelming disappointment and anger at the mother, with loss of self-esteem and the marked inhibited and depressive reaction which continues to characterize her. The incomplete and unstable fusion of the good and bad maternal images gave way under the impact of her anger; the maternal images were split and the bad image was projected onto other figures. A basic mistrust prevails,