THREE ESSAYS ON SEXUALITY roots may grow into the actual vehicles of sexual activity; in may be submitted to be able in a considerable proportion of sexual energy to themselves as symptoms; while in the most favourable cases, which lie between extremes, they may by means of effective restriction INFANTILE SEXUALITY and other kinds of modification bring about what is known as normal sexual life GLECT OF One feature of the popular view of the sexual We have, however, a further reflection to make. This postu- THE InFanTILE instinct is that it is absent in childhood and lated constitution, containing the germs of all the perversi only awakens in the period of life described as will only be demonstrable in children, even though in them it is uberty. This, however, is not merely a simpl only with modest degrees of intensity that any of the instincts error but one that has had grave consequences, for it is mainl can emerge. A formula begins to take shape which lays it down to this idea that we owe our present ignorance of the funda that the sexuality of neurotics I remained in, or been brought mental conditions of sexual life. A thorough study of the sexual back to, an infantile state Thus our interest turns to the sexual manifestations of childhood would probably reveal the essential life of children, and we will now proceed to trace the characters of the sexual instinct and would show us the course e play ot influences which govern the evolution of infantile sexuality till of its development and the way in which it is put together from its outcome in perversion, neurosis or normal sexual life. various sources It is noticeable that writers who concern themselves with plaining the characteristics and reactions of the adult have devoted much more attention to the primaeval period which is comprised in the life of the individuals ancestors-have, that is, ascribed much more influence to heredity-than to the other rimaeval period, which falls within the lifetime of the individual imself-that is, to childhood One would surely have supposed ter pe Id be ea stand and could claim to be considered before that of hered It is true that in the literature of the subject one occasionall comes across remarks upon precocious sexual activity in small hildren-upon erections, masturbation and even activities re sembling coitus. But these are always quoted only as exceptional events,as oddities or as horrifying instances of precocious depravity. So far as I know, not a single author has clearly ecognized the regular cxistence of a sexual instinct in child hood; and in the writings that have become so numcrous or he development of children, the chapter on"Sexual Develop- a Footnote added 1915: Nor is it possible to estimate correctly the ed by childhood on made in the text has since struck me so bold that I have undertaken the task of testing its validity by looking through the literature once more. The outcome of this is that I have