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So we see that [[circumcision]] has long been used to effect behavior change.
{{SEEALSO}}
* [[Adamant father syndrome]]
* [[Association of male circumcision with homosexuality]]
* [[Circumcision coma]]
* [[Circumcision and violence]]
* [[Foreskin_restoration#Emotional.2C_psychological.2C_and_psychiatric_benefits| Emotional, psychological, and psychiatric benefits]]
* [[Pain]]
* [[Psychosexual Effects of Circumcision]]
* [[Psychiatrist Discusses the Lasting Trauma of Circumcision]]
* [[Post-traumatic stress disorder]]
* [[Suicide]]
* [[Trauma]]
Relocate section; Wikify.
==History==
[[Circumcision]] has long been used to effect behavior change.
[[Moses Maimonides]] wrote in the 12th century:
}}</ref>
</blockquote>
== Profound lack of understanding of psychological issues ==
There was little awareness of emotional and/or psychological issues when child [[circumcision]] was being promoted in the late 19th century and early 20th century. For example, [[Douglas Gairdner]] (1949) made no mention at all of [[pain]], [[trauma]] behavior changes, or psychological issues in his landmark 1949 paper.<ref name="fate1949">{{GairdnerDM 1949}}</ref>
[[Intact America ]] (2023) reported that [[intact]] males were shamed.<ref>{{REFweb
|url=https://intactamerica.org/foreskin-phobia-intact-penis-shamed/
|title=Foreskin Phobia: How The Intact Penis Has Been Shamed
}}</ref> so they blamed the observed effects on "stress", not pain.
Luther, Kraybill & Potter (1976) tested cortisol and cortisone in the blood of newborn infants before and after [[circumcision]]. Dramatic increases in cortisol and a lesser increase in cortisone was recorded.<ref name="luther1976">{{REFjournal
|last=Talbot
|init=LM
}}</ref>
Rawlins, Miller & Engel (1980) investigated the blood oxygen content after [https://www.thefreedictionary.com/unanesthetized unanesthetized] non-therapeutic [[circumcision]]. They reported that blood oxygen content decreased during non-therapeutic neonatal circumcision, although it returned to baseline or above later.<ref name="rawlins-miller-engel1980">{{REFjournal
|last=Rawlins
|init=DJ
|author3-link=
|etal=yes
|title=Circumcision I: effects Effects upon newborn behavior
|journal=Infant Behavior and Development
|location=
}}</ref>
Gunnar et al. (1984) tested the effects of a pacifier during [[circumcision]]. They reported:
<blockquote>
The results showed that stimulating the newborn with the pacifier reduced crying by about 40%. Reducing crying, however, had no significant effect on adrenocortical response. Elevations of serum cortisol predicted average behavioral state following circumcision, whereas crying during circumcision did not. Furthermore, there was evidence that the neonatal adrenocortical system was sensitive in variations in surgical procedures. The results indicate the importance of obtaining data on both behavioral and hormonal systems in studies of stress and coping in human newborns.<ref name="gunnar1984">{{REFjournal
}}</ref></blockquote>
Porter et al. (1986) recorded the [[pain ]] cries of boys undergoing [[circumcision]]. They reported that "Subjective judgments and objective quantitative data converge to demonstrate that infants' cries are perceived as varying and objectively, do systematically vary with respect to the the intensity of the painful stimuli."<ref name="porter1986">{{REFjournal
|last=Porter
|first=Fran Lang
}}</ref>
Porter et al. (1988) recorded the cries of boys undergoing non-therapeutic child [[circumcision]]. They found that the pitch of the cries increased as stress ([[euphemism]] for [[pain]]) increases.<ref name="porter1988">{{REFjournal
|last=Porter
|first=Fran Lang
}}</ref>
The research reported in this section clearly establish the the distress shown by male infants during unanesthetized circumcision does not come from being restrained, that infants feel extreme [[pain]], that sucking on a pacifier does not reduce pain, although it may reduce crying, and that neonatal non-therapeutic [[circumcision]] is traumatic for the child.
==Trauma of circumcision==
}}</ref>
Rhinehart (1999) was a practicing psychiatrist who had patients with later life problems stemming from their neonatal [[circumcision]]. He listed some possibilities:
* a sense of personal powerlessness
===Circumcised medical doctors===
Most male doctors in the [[United States ]] are men who were [[circumcised]] as infants. Consequently, despite being medical doctors , they have no personal knowledge of or appreciation for the human [[foreskin]]. These male doctors share the [[trauma]] and attitudes of other [[circumcised]] men and are just as likely to want to repeat the [[trauma]]. [[Eleanor LeBourdais| LeBourdais]] (1995) pointed out that the "age of the attending physician, sex and circumcision status" were important factors in determining the likelihood of a baby boy being [[circumcised]].<ref>{{REFjournal
|last=LeBourdais
|first=Eleanor
The authors reported their "analysis shows differences between early [[circumcised]] and non-circumcised men in psychological measures of socio-affectivity and provides initial support for the hypothesis that this alteration stems from the most crucial neurodevelopmentally plastic period of an individual's life. They called for "replication of the current study with a larger sample size and better ability to control for socioeconomic variables."<ref name="miani2020" />
== Videos ==
=== Men's mental health ===
<youtube>3bxg5pLrbc</youtube>
{{SEEALSO}}
* [[Adamant father syndrome]]
* [[Association of male circumcision with homosexuality]]
* [[Circumcision coma]]
* [[Circumcision and violence]]
* [[Foreskin_restoration#Emotional.2C_psychological.2C_and_psychiatric_benefits| Emotional, psychological, and psychiatric benefits]]
* [[Pain]]
* [[Psychosexual Effects of Circumcision]]
* [[Psychiatrist Discusses the Lasting Trauma of Circumcision]]
* [[Post-traumatic stress disorder]]
* [[Suicide]]
* [[Trauma]]
{{LINKS}}