[311] At
puberty and adolescence occasional or frequent masturbation is common in
both boys and girls, though, I believe, less common than is sometimes
supposed; it is difficult to say whether it is more prevalent among boys
or girls; one is inclined to conclude that it prevails more widely among
boys. The sexual impulse, and consequently the tendency to masturbation,
tend to be aroused later, and less easily in girls than in youths, though
it must also be remembered that boys' traditions and their more active
life keep the tendency in abeyance, while in girls there is much less
frequently any restraining influence of corresponding character.[312] In
my study of inversion I have found that ignorance and the same absence of
tradition are probably factors in the prevalence of homosexual tendencies
among women.[313] After adolescence I think there can be no doubt that
masturbation is more common in women than in men. Men have, by this time,
mostly adopted some method of sexual gratification with the opposite sex;
women are to a much larger extent shut out from such gratification;
moreover, while in rare cases women are sexually precocious, it more often
happens that their sexual impulses only gain strength and
self-consciousness after adolescence has passed. I have been much
impressed by the frequency with which masturbation is occasionally
(especially about the period of menstruation) practiced by active,
intelligent, and healthy women who otherwise lead a chaste life.
Pages:
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444