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Circumcision

118 bytes added, 14:35, 10 October 2019
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Psychological late effects: Consolidate footnotes and install links.
The psychological late effects of circumcision are not yet fully researched, and many studies took place on rather a small scale. This situation needs to be rectified, because the available studies, as well as the histories of negatively affected men, suggest that these late effects may have more impact than previously assumed.
* It was observed that infants, following circumcision without pain control, had a disturbed bond with their mother<ref>Marshall RE, Porter FL, Rogers AG, ''et al''. [http://www.cirp.org/library/birth/marshall2/ Circumcision: II effects upon mother-infant interaction]. ''Early Hum Dev '' 1982; 7(4):367-74.</ref>, as well as problems with nurturing, up to the point of refusal to be fed. The sleeping habits of these babies were also disturbed, with prolonged non-REM sleep and increased waking.* In boys circumcised in childhood, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) could be diagnosed. In a study on Philippine boys, in whom no PTSD was found prior to the operation, 69% of the boys circumcised in the traditional ritual and 51% of those circumcised by standard medical procedures (including anaesthesia) fulfilled the DSM-IV criteria for PTSD following the operation.<ref>Ramos S, Boyle GJ. [https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4757-3351-8_14 Ritual and medical circumcision among Filipino boys: evidence of post-traumatic stress disorder]. In: Denniston GC, Hodges FM, Milos MF (eds) ''Understanding circumcision: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach to a Multi-Dimensional Problem''. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, 2001: pp. 253-70.</ref>
* Circumcisions, especially those that happen without consent, can spark feelings of helplessness and alienation, which can persist as trauma. These feeling can also be triggered later, when someone circumcised as an infant becomes aware of his circumcision. In an online study, interviewed men stated they felt betrayed - 55% by the mother, 50% by the father, and 58% by the doctor, and 73% felt that their human rights had been violated.<ref>http://www.circumcisionharm.org/</ref>
* It can frequently be found that the loss is denied, much as happens with the loss of other body parts. This denial can lead to fathers having their sons circumcised in order not to be reminded of their own loss. In this process, their own body is defined as "normal" and the [[foreskin]] redefined as a foreign object. Their own parents are seen as "good", so that this image is projected onto the circumcision their parents carried out as well, in order to keep the positive emotion intact. The father wants to be a "good" father later in life as well, and so, following an idealised image of his own parents, circumcision, which has been redefined as a "good thing", is passed on to his son by having him circumcised as well.<ref>van der Kolk BA. [http://www.cirp.org/library/psych/vanderkolk/The compulsion to repeat the trauma: re-enactment, revictimization, and masochism]. ''Psychiatr Clin North Am '' 1989;12(2):389-411.</ref><ref>Goldman R. [[http://www.cirp.org/library/psych/goldman1/ The psychological impact of circumcision]]. ''BJU Int '' 1999;83 Suppl. 1:93-103.</ref>* If the circumcised male feels incomplete, or due to the missing [[foreskin]] disadvantaged compared to intact males, an inferiority complex and depression may occur. This can be accompanied by conscious recognition of his own incompleteness, or the deficiency may remain completely subconscious<ref>Rhinehart J. [http://www.cirp.org/library/psych/rhinehart1/ Neonatal circumcision reconsidered]. ''Transactional Analysis J '' 1999;29(3):215-21.</ref>. In an online study, 75% of those interviewed stated that they felt incomplete, and 66% said they felt inferior compared with intact males.<ref>http://www.circumcisionharm.org/</ref>* Cases in which children felt ill treated or punished have been documented as well. G. Cansever found in her study on 12 boys aged between 4 and 7 years, who had previously been prepared for their impending circumcision, that the children experienced the operation as an aggressive assault on their bodies.<ref>Cansever, G. (1965). [http://www.cirp.org/library/psych/cansever/ Psychological effects of circumcision]. ''Brit. J. Med. Psychol''. 38: 321-331.</ref>* Fear of being alone or darkness.<refname="Levy1945">David M. Levy, [http://www.cirp.org/library/psych/levy1/ Psychic trauma of operations in children; and a note on combat neurosis, ]. ''American Journal of Diseases of Children'', Vol. 69, 1945, 7-25</ref>* Fear of doctors, clinics and also closed rooms.<ref>David M. Levy, Psychic trauma of operations in children; and a note on combat neurosis, American Journal of Diseases of Children, Vol. 69, 1945, 7-25<name="Levy1945" /ref>* Relapse into the state of bed-wetting, even if the child was already dry before.<ref>David M. Levy, Psychic trauma of operations in children; and a note on combat neurosis, American Journal of Diseases of Children, Vol. 69, 1945, 7-25<name="Levy1945" /ref>
== Historical background ==
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