What are some implications of Freud's theory of

Infantile Sexuality for persons afflicted with

congenital craniofacial disorders?

FREUD AND PHILOSOPHY

Alan Nasser, Ph.D., Faculty

Winter Quarter, 1995

The Evergreen State College

Submitted by:
Neil J. Gillespie
2400 20th Avenue NW, #5-D
Olympia, WA 98502
(360) 866-7400

This paper will focus on a specific subject; What are

some implications of Freud's theory of Infantile Sexuality
for persons afflicted with congenital craniofacial
disorders?

I have presented the information on this subject

in four sections.

Each section will present detailed

information which will lend support to my conclusion.

1. Infantile Sexuality.

I am concerned here with what

is now referred to as Freud's oral psychosexual stage, which

begins at birth.

"The mouth, tongue, and gums are the focus

of pleasurable sensations in the baby's body, and feeding is

the most stimulating activity (Berger)."

Freud notes that

the " ... most striking feature of this sexual activity is

that the instinct is not directed towards other people, but
from the sUbjec~s own

It is

auto-erotic ... (Three

Freud goes on to say that,

"It was the child's

vital activity, his

sucking at his

er's breast, or at substitutes for it,

with this pleasure.

that must have

child's lips,
and no doubt

The

n our view, behave like an erotogenic zone,

timulation by the warm flow of milk is the

cause of the pleasurable sensation (Three Essays)."

~
So, Freud ha ~tabllshed an oral erotogenic zone and has
suggested
sensation in

the flow of w

able
that,

tbj~one.

in

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obtaining satisfaction by means of an appropriate

stimulation of the erotogenic zone which has been selected
in one way or another (Freud, Three Essays)."
2. Craniofacial Disorder.

For my example I will use

the disorder of a bilateral cleft lip and palate.

The

aetiology of this disorder occurs between the 7th and 8th

week of gestation, with a fusion failure during the
nasomedial process (Patten).
presents an oral-nasal
protrusion.

The resulting disorder

fi[~~~/~ften with

The effects on the afflicted individual are

feeding problems and surgical trauma.

3.

premaxilla

Clinical Observations.

Feeding an

~
infan~ith a

cleft presents a challenging set of physical circumstances.

Dr. Berkowitz notes that "Children with a cleft palate
cannot create sufficient negative pressure to suck milk,
which is expressed from the nipple between the upper and
lower gum pads, because of the absence of a palatal seal."
In addition to feeding problems, surgery of the lip,
palate and gums of an infant presents an opportunity for
pain and trauma.

Presurgical orthopedic alignment of the

premaxilla requires the infant to wear craniofacial

orthopedic devices which cause pain to the mouth and gums.
Arm restraints are also fitted to the infant to keep the
baby's hands from its mouth, or from removing the devices.
Postsurgical trauma includes pain, swelling, sutures,

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additional feeding problems and the wearing of arm

restraints.
4.

Non-clinical Observations.

One mother described

each feeding of her cleft infant as a "nightmare"

(AboutFace).

Another mother states about her cleft baby,

"Few individuals would try the challenge of feeding him,

risking his choking and vomiting on every drop (AboutFace)."
These experiences are in stark contrast to Freud's
observation of a normal infant,

"No one who has seen a baby

sinking back satiated from the breast and falling asleep

with flushed cheeks and a blissful smile can escape the
reflection that this picture persists as a prototype of the
expression of sexual satisfaction in later life (Three
Essays)."
Conclusion.

The clinical and non-clinical observations

point to the possibility of ([Xation to the oral stage of::>

developm~nt.

Freud

states.~very external

or internal

factor that hinders or postpones the attainment of the

normal sexual aim will evidently lend support to the

O~ ~ ~

~~ ~

~~ ~_I
Y-a-y;;,--

tendency to linger over the preparatory activities and to

turn them into new sexual aims that can take the place of

.,.,., ~ I

~~

'>

~e of Oral Stage
)
L.A~. ..~ J ~I'uq
fixation include smoking, drinking, eating-~rders and a
the normal one (Three ESSayS).':"\

proclivity to speaking.

I conclude that a bilateral cleft

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.. ,..

lip and palate puts an afflicted individual "at risk" for

fixation to the Oral Psychosexual Developmental Stage.

Bibliography

1.

Kathleen Stassen Berger, The Developing Person Through

the Life Span, third edition, 1994, Worth Publishers

2.

Sigmund Freud, Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality,

Basic Books

3.

Samual Berkowitz, DDS, MS, FICD, The Cleft Palate Story,

1994, Quintessence Publishing Co., Inc.

4.

AboutFace, craniofacial support group newsletter,

January/February 1993 and May/June 1992

5.

B. M. Patten, Human Embryology, third edition, 1968,

McGraw-Hill Book Company

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