This is a study published in 1973 by a Sociology professor in Minnesota. When I see people referencing studies that support the MAP perspective, It's usually the Kinsey and Rind studies, which are great but I never see anyone mention this one. Do people just not know about it? He collected testimony from many students in his university as well as conducted many interviews in six assorted communities around the upper midwest and northeast. He sought to answer the questions, what is it really like to have sexual encounter in one's childhood year. Naturally, he came to the same conclusion that they all do:
Still, the rest of the study is a fascinating read. Certainly it belongs in this library. Here's one more good excerpt from the conclusion:In sum, recognizing the inadequacy of the empirical evidence, what can we say about the outcomes of preadolescent sexual encounters? Except for severe cases of violence, force or rape it would appear that preadolescents take their sexual encounters in stride. Most do not prove to be debilitating. On the other hand, it would be wrong to conclude that the sexual and erotic encounters of children and preadolescents when coupled with repressive and incredibly poor sex education contribute to the best experience and best preparation for adolescence and adulthood. Some of the effects of a repressive milieu in infancy, childhood, and preadolescence are apparent in the sexual encounters of adolescents. But that is not a part of this study.
It is good to let all children (not only those brought to the clinician with behavior problems) speak for themselves about their own sexuality. In the preceding pages I have let children--infants through preadolescents--speak for themselves as much as possible with only the minimum of required interpretation. I have been constantly aware and motivated by the desire to provide an alternative, a balance so to speak, to the preponderance of works that have stressed the pathology in infant and child sexuality. These works often contain direct testimony from children with serious sexual problems who have been referred to child guidance clinics or private practitioners. This limited testimony from a small sample of atypical children supports a heavy superstructure of professional analysis, interpretation, and generalization. My role has been that of organizer and facilitator--giving the young a chance to speak, and arranging their comments under appropriate topics and headings. Of course, not all children in the United States have spoken here, not even a representative sample, but a significant segment nevertheless. The statements of the young in the three preceding chapters represent the ebb and flow of human sexual experience among no less than 300 children brought up in a moderately repressive society.
I will not summarize what they have said. Their remarks do not lend themselves easily to generalization and may be rendered trite in the process. I remind the reader that we were interested in insights, hopefully in depth, rather than in quantifying incidences.