Circumcision, the hidden trauma

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Title Circumcision, The Hidden Trauma : How an American Cultural Practice Affects Infants and Ultimately Us All

Author Ronald Goldman Ph.D.

Publisher Vanguard Publications (February 1, 1997)

Length 302 pages


CIRCUMCISION: THE HIDDEN TRAUMA is the first intensive exploration of the unrecognized psychological and social aspects of this increasingly controversial American cultural practice. The book has been endorsed by dozens of professionals in psychology, psychiatry, child development, pediatrics, obstetrics, childbirth education, sociology, and anthropology, including Ashley Montagu, Christiane Northrup, Warren Farrell, Sheila Kitzinger, Sam Keen, and Penelope Leach. Without much knowledge, the American public generally assumes that our cultural practice of circumcision is a trivial and benign procedure. Plain facts and research results conflict with these beliefs and raise serious questions. Dr. Goldman's application of psychological and social research coherently explains both the tenacity of the practice and the contradictory information and beliefs about it. After a review of the surprising abilities of infants and their responses to circumcision pain, the long-term psychological effects of circumcision are examined from the perspectives of both traditional and innovative psychological theories. We learn that circumcision has potential effects not only on men and sexuality, but also on mother-child relationships, male-female relationships, and societal traits and problems. The text is supported with clinical reports, interviews, surveys, and thorough documentation. CIRCUMCISION: THE HIDDEN TRAUMA identifies an overlooked source of early pain and points us in the direction of both healing and preventing this pain. It is of particular interest to men who seek to explore their sexuality and deepen self-awareness; women who want to understand men better; parents and children's advocates; childbirth educators and allied workers; and mental health, medical, and academic professionals. The book has wide appeal because, more generally, it is about trusting our instincts, questioning some of our cultural values and assumptions, and reflecting on who we are and who we can be as individuals and as a society. Ronald Goldman, Ph.D., is a psychologist, educator, and executive director of the Circumcision Resource Center in Boston (www.circumcision.org), a nonprofit educational organization. He gives lectures and seminars on the psychological and social aspects of circumcision and provides consultation to expectant parents and circumcised men. Dr. Goldman has been a featured guest on local and national radio and television shows and has been cited in numerous newspapers and periodicals.

Review

"A penetrating landmark study that raises disturbing questions and yet offers a real message of hope for a more peaceful future." -- LLOYD DEMAUSE, PH.D., author, Director of the Institute for Psychohistory

"A revealing explanation of the misunderstanding in the medical community about this practice." -- LEONARD MARINO, M.D., pediatrician

"Essential reading for men who seek to explore their sexuality and deepen self-awareness." -- John Lee, author of The Flying Boy, founder of the Austin Men's Center

"Goldman casts a wide, fine mesh net and hauls in all the fishy arguments and speculations that disqualify circumcision as a health care procedure." -- JOHN MONEY, PH.D., Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics and Medical Psychology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

"Goldman's book, though long-overdue, is timely." -- PENELOPE LEACH, PH.D., child development educator, author of Your Baby & Child

"I always knew that circumcision was a procedure with roots at a level much deeper than that of a mere 'medical' procedure. Finally, Ronald Goldman has written a courageous book that makes the strongest possible case for abandoning circumcision once and for all-for the health of all of us, men and women alike." -- CHRISTIANE NORTHRUP, M.D., obstetrician, author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom

"I am very impressed with the depth of Goldman's research and his willingness to deal so thoroughly with the most important question of the possible effect of circumcision on boys." -- WARREN FARRELL, PH.D., author of Why Men Are the Way They Are

"I hope Circumcision: The Hidden Trauma will be read by men and women because it will force us to confront the unrecognized personal and social harm that results from this practice." -- SAM KEEN, PH.D., author of Fire in the Belly

"Impressive and moving." -- SHEILA KITZINGER, social anthropologist and childbirth educator, author of The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth

"This provocative analysis of circumcision's potential impact on men and gender relations merits serious attention." -- PATRICIA YANCEY MARTIN, PH.D., Professor of Sociology, Florida State University From the Publisher FOREWORD

As an anthropologist, I have been interested for many years in the rituals, practices, and myths adopted by different societies. One of the most enduring of these practices is circumcision, which has been practiced by various cultures for thousands of years. It is typically a rite of passage marking a transition from one status to another. Such rites of passage, celebrated at birth, puberty, mar-riage, and death, are frequently associated with certain procedures entailing bodily mutilation. This removal of a part of the body, however, is not regarded in most societies as a mutilation. More often than not, it is seen as a religious consecration that makes the individual holy and invested with a special status.

In the United States we have invented "reasons" to replace religion in justifying circumcision. Myths associated with circumcision have become an accepted part of our society. Thus far the power of precedent and social custom has resisted the force of knowledge, reason, and logic.

The perpetuation of myths about circumcision in this country is not unlike the persistence of myths in other, divergent societies. Those in so-called civilized societies may believe that they are too "advanced" to believe in myths, but that, too, is a cultural myth. We are all subject to believing in myths. At this juncture in our history we should remember that civilization is not a gift, but an achievement, and that civilization is a race between education and catastrophe.

One outstanding characteristic that marks us as human beings is our educability. We have had to learn almost everything we know and do from other human beings, beginning with our prin-cipal caregivers, our parents, and then our teachers and others. Consequently, to be human is to be in danger, for we are capable of being taught unsound things as well as sound ones. Therefore, we need good teachers who will challenge entrenched beliefs and practices by setting out the facts that need to be considered in arriving at a just decision.

This is why I welcome, as I am sure the reader will, Ronald Goldman's beautiful and powerful book on circumcision. It is the most enlightening and dependable examination of a most important aspect of human life. It is a book that is designed to be helpful to both the curious and the perplexed. In this Ronald Goldman succeeds admirably, for he writes clearly and simply from a wide background of knowledge, and is a sympathetic guide through the labyrinth of controversy to the truths that he so ably makes avail-able. It is an illuminating book, and I hope it will be widely read.

Ashley Montagu, Ph.D.


ISBN-10: 0964489538 ISBN-13: 978-0964489530

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0964489538?ie=UTF8&isInIframe=1&n=283155&redirect=true&ref_=dp_proddesc_0&s=books&showDetailProductDesc=1#iframe-wrapper

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