The importance of masturbation to these offenders when the easy availability of coitus afforded by marriage was absent suggests difficulty in heterosexual adjustment, a difficulty also reflected in other aspects of their lives. The extremely large masturbatory proportions of total outlet shown by those whose marriages broke up in their teens or early twenties leads one to think that the marital failure aggravated preexisting difficulties in working out sexual adjustments with women.
As is usual, the masturbation was ordinarily accompanied by sexual fantasies. The fantasies of the heterosexual offenders vs. children seem to have been, with two exceptions, similar in general content to those of other sex offenders. The two exceptions to this are fantasies of sexual contact with animals and fantasies of a bizarre or highly specialized nature. Some 8 per cent of the offenders vs. children fantasied, on occasion, contact with animals; this is a small percentage in absolute terms, but it is the second largest exhibited by any group, and more than double that of the control group. Perhaps those who will disregard age taboo are more inclined than other offenders to disregard species taboo, at least in fantasy. However, not an unduly large percentage of the offenders vs. children had had actual sexual contact with animals. About one fifth had bizarre fantasies, the third highest figure within that classification and far in excess of the prison (2 per cent) and control groups (1 per cent).
The offenders vs. children closely match the control-group individuals in the amount they worry about the possible bad effects of masturbation. During 40 per cent of the years in which masturbation occurred there was concomitant worry ranging from mild concern to real anxiety. In terms of rank-order this percentage is neither high nor low.
Turning to the question of how they first learned of self-masturbation, the offenders vs. children reveal no distinctive trends. As in all other groups, the majority obtained this knowledge through a mixture of talking, reading, and observation.
As is usual, the masturbation was ordinarily accompanied by sexual fantasies. The fantasies of the heterosexual offenders vs. children seem to have been, with two exceptions, similar in general content to those of other sex offenders. The two exceptions to this are fantasies of sexual contact with animals and fantasies of a bizarre or highly specialized nature. Some 8 per cent of the offenders vs. children fantasied, on occasion, contact with animals; this is a small percentage in absolute terms, but it is the second largest exhibited by any group, and more than double that of the control group. Perhaps those who will disregard age taboo are more inclined than other offenders to disregard species taboo, at least in fantasy. However, not an unduly large percentage of the offenders vs. children had had actual sexual contact with animals. About one fifth had bizarre fantasies, the third highest figure within that classification and far in excess of the prison (2 per cent) and control groups (1 per cent).
The offenders vs. children closely match the control-group individuals in the amount they worry about the possible bad effects of masturbation. During 40 per cent of the years in which masturbation occurred there was concomitant worry ranging from mild concern to real anxiety. In terms of rank-order this percentage is neither high nor low.
Turning to the question of how they first learned of self-masturbation, the offenders vs. children reveal no distinctive trends. As in all other groups, the majority obtained this knowledge through a mixture of talking, reading, and observation.
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