Page:Homo-sexual Life by William John Fielding (1925).pdf/44



Freud was the first to make clear that the so-called "perversions" and "inversions," which appear in certain adult types in striking forms, belong to the normal sexual life of the young child. They are also seen in veiled forms in many cases of nervous illness.

We have already given some consideration to the analogy between certain forms of sexuality and the narcissism of childhood—having shown that the former trait is a fixation (at least there is a preponderance of psychological evidence to this effect) of the emotional erotic development at a primitive level.

It should be emphasized, as it has been in the preceding pages, that inversion is by no means synonymous with degeneracy. It will, of course, be conceded that there are degenerate homosexuals, just as there are degenerate heterosexuals.

Barring the neurotic disposition, however, inversion is found among persons who otherwise show no marked deviation from the normal.

Not only may a homosexual be a person of normal capability, but he may possess outstanding intellectual qualities and be distinguished by high cultural attainments.

The eminence achieved by a number of inverts has already been referred to; as also have been the prevalence of general homo-