Herb was seven when he was brought for psychiatric evaluation because he had bluntly asked several little girls to lower their panties so he could look. After one distraught mother complained, Herb's father told him that it wasn't right, and not to do it again. Herb seemed to understand, but attempted to pull down another girl's panties that same afternoon. Herb's early development was unremarkable except for clumsiness that kept him from hitting a baseball and being chosen for a team at school. At the age of four he had been circumcised because of adhesions and infections about the foreskin. Herb had not asked questions nor did he appear anxious before the operation. After the surgery he cried plaintively, but soon was quiet. In his first session, Herb appeared to be a wide-eyed lad with a slight stutter and a need to please adults. He wouldn't discuss his voyeuristic activities at all. After several months he asked to see his female therapist's genitals. She had some difficulty in dealing with this request and Herb steadfastly refused to discuss his reasons. Eventually she provided him with pictures, diagrams, and explanations. He next asked her to view his "wee-wee."
This she did, reassuring him that
it looked perfectly all right. Herb appeared relieved, and for
the first time asked her if she had any children of her own.
Prior to his circumcision, Herb had no idea whether his
penis was good, bad, or indifferent because no one ever
talked about it or paid any attention to it. He thought it
might not be too good because it was always covered up.
When the infection began he was told not to touch it because
it would get dirty. Then the operation removed something
and made his penis better. Also, it hurt-so it certainly must
have been bad. Herb's voyeuristic penchant was an attempt
to gain information and reassurance. Were girls like that
because they were dirty and had an operation? Would he
have another operation and become a girl? What if he didn't
touch his penis so that it would stay clean? Was it clean now?
Could adults like his penis and want him to keep it? All these
questions would have been unnecessary if Herb had known
before the operation that his penis was handsome and valuable
in the eyes of his parents.
WARREN
Warren's parents were well-to-do. His father was the
owner of a successful chain of restaurants and often traveled
about the country. His mother did little in the father's
absence, since there were servants in the house, including a
governess for the two young boys. The governess kept the
children clean and neatly dressed. She took them to the Tiny
Tot's Theatre and taught them not to interrupt adult conversation.
Although the father had little to do with the children
he maintained high expectations for their behavior much as
he did for his own.
When Warren, who was the older boy, was reported by his
second-grade teacher for stealing a rock specimen, father
twisted his ear. Later Warren twisted the ear of the family
dog. The next summer Warren persuaded a neighbor girl, a
year older, to play "Mommy and Daddy" with him. Although
Warren had never spied on his parents he had studied copulating
animals and a sex manual from the family library. His
game consisted of placing his three-inch-long erect penis
between the thighs of his partner. For months following this
event he extorted money from the neighbor girl by threatening
to tell her parents. At age nine he was routinely stealing
money from his mother's purse and by eleven he was depleting
the family's liquor supply. The parents presented him for
psychiatric evaluation at age thirteen after he informed his
father that his mother had taken a lover. Through this falsehood
he had almost demolished the parents' marriage.
Mother recalled that she had fired several servants that year
because of Warren's reports of clandestine activities.
When Warren was seen alone he readily admitted his fabrications
and spontaneously recounted a list of ingenious
misdeeds. One of the maids who had been fired had refused
to grant him sexual favors, although her successor had been
coerced into doing so.
Warren's governess had felt it was not her responsibility
to tell the boys about sex. Her close supervision of all their
activities had effectively prevented any sex play when they
were young. By the time Warren was five he had discovered
that "dirty words" were a sure way to upset his governess,
who would not tell his parents for fear of losing her job. Sexuality
became a powerful tool for revenge.