Psychological effects of circumcision

I underwent circumcision as an adult man. I did it of my own free will to solve the problem of incomplete phimosis. After circumcision I felt fine. But I wonder if this was the case for everyone. I heard that some boys who were forcibly circumcised as children felt a lot of negative emotions. They felt mutilated and humiliated. Tell us how it was for you

This is a very good question. At the time, I did not question authority. Over the years in childhood, I realized that what had been done to me was known as circumcision, and that it was usually only done to Jewish and Muslim boys. I thought I was the odd boy out. In teen age, I became concerned that masturbation this way was perhaps more difficult than on an intact male. When I become of age to have sexual relationships, I wondered what girls would think of it. When I had Internet access I learned a lot about circumcision, reasons and adverse effects.

The psychological effect on me is basically that I feel somewhat cheated, that doctors pushed for painful and inefficient procedures (asking my mother to force my foreskin back, instead of having me try to do it as it's done today) and then for surgery as soon as possible, even though I suffered from no inconvenience. This feeling was compounded by learning that medical advocacy for circumcision was long based on unbelievable quackery.

This led later to a form of fetish.

As child, I didn’t feel mutilated and humiliated, I was perhaps proud to be circumcised.

But, years later, since I've been active on Zity, I have often asked myself about the possible links between my medfet and my circumcision. I have not yet found definitive answers and I probably never will.

Never gave it a thought until I noticed all the discussions on Zity. Just seemed normal to me, so no psychological trauma or fetishes due to my being circumcised.

Not only do I not feel the least bit deprived by being circumcised as an infant, I am thankful for it. I have never had even one day of regret, nor any curiosity about what it would be like to be uncut.

In the us, most nfants are done the day after they are born.

I was 8 or 9 when I discovered that not every boy's penis looked like mine. Initially I thought the two brothers I was skinny dipping with had some shared birth defect. Then my mom then told me that my penis also had that extra skin but was removed at the hospital before I came home. I was shocked and angry that part of me was cut away without me having any say.

It took me some time to process the reality, especially after seeing some of the cool things these brothers could do with their penises that I could not. Of course I became resigned to the fact that this mutilation/alteration/operation was not reversible and up until that point I had been blissfully unaware things might have been different.

It did cause me to seek out other boys that I might be able to 'play' with who were uncircumcised until my curiosity was satisfied a few years later.

Excellent question, I start with my own experience and its possible psychological effects. Being from Spain, circumcision or phimosis surgery is very rare here.

My parents tried to explain to me as best they could what they were going to do to me. More like any child, he did not understand its effects or consequences. Being the only one circumcised out of my entire family and close friends, it was easy for me to realize that I had to be different from everyone else.

Sometimes I wondered if there was no other option, especially when I felt like the odd one out on the beach. Or when I had problems with stenosis due to the effects of circumcision.

Here in Spain it is assumed that someone who is circumcised is either Jewish or Muslim, and mockery is often present. Luckily we moved to the USA for a while where I could feel less weird, and where I managed to understand more about the subject.

Already in adolescence it was another extra, where being aware that I was different I was afraid of being judged by girls.

To this day, it is a topic that interests me a lot. And I still have doubts about whether the operation could really have been avoided.

Genuinely not sure how exactly to answer this... I myself got 'The Snip' at the age of 8 (after my Parents got divorced) and well ever since my own experience and learning about all of the methods of circumcision be it the Gomco (how I lost my hoodie), the Plastibell, the Mogen or even more exotic methods such as dorsal slit circumcision I've fallen down a raddit hole... A well an obsession if you will... I'm absolutely fascinating by the various methods of circumcision and trying to imagine how my own procedure might have played out. Would I have kept my frenulum? Would I end up with a high/tight cut or a low/loose cut OR something wholly different? Is literally countless possibilities yet I feel as if I'm limited to my own experiences seered into my brain and unable to actually ever understand what I desire... Hell most a the time I just feel like a damned nutcase...

I was circumcised as a child and the surgery left me with a low and tight style but with the frenulum intact.

I am sure this was the basis of my medfet and have been trying to conduct research on it for many years. Some of the work done with the help of friends is recorded on my profile wall - but they didn't really understand what medfet is all about and many questions were left unanswered.

Dr Robert Chartham - the chap who invented the penis enlarger and was a leading sexcologist in the 1960s - did some research on this in the early 60s where the patient was forced to relive his circumcision using electrical stimulation to simulate the sensations felt during the surgery. I am lucky enough to have access, through a friend, to his archives.

If anyone is interested in getting involved in this research please contact me.

ever since my own experience and learning about all of the methods of circumcision be it the Gomco (how I lost my hoodie), the Plastibell, the Mogen or even more exotic methods such as dorsal slit circumcision I've fallen down a raddit hole... A well an obsession if you will... I'm absolutely fascinating by the various methods of circumcision and trying to imagine how my own procedure might have played out. Would I have kept my frenulum? Would I end up with a high/tight cut or a low/loose cut OR something wholly different

I share some interest in this… The various methods, outcomes, how they look, feel… It seems somewhat exciting.

I know that my brother doesn’t mind the look of his circumcision, or how it feels (tight, but not painful), but does feel some anger/ sadness that he wasn’t able to make the decision himself.

@VladimirFox @intrigue I have read on the devices used for circumcision. It's as though it was made "industrial", trying to take as few minutes as possible to remove the foreskin, as opposed to requiring surgical skill. Devices like Plastibell and similar rings especially intrigue me.

see my essay https://en.zity.biz/index.php?mx=blog;ox=showpage;pg=8285

There is really an industry of foreskin removal…

@Jacana I have met people who have chosen to/not to circumcise based on what methods were on offer.

One of my high school friends dad chose not to have my friend circumcised because he believed that the only method of circumcision that was “correct” was freehand circumcision by a skilled doctor with a scalpel and stitches. As time has gone on I have come to learn that that was the method in which he was circumcised himself.

I am not circumcised, so this is not a reflection on my own personal experience. I see posts and comments from men on Reddit and TikTok that run the gamut. Some men very much have negative emotions about having been circumcised as an infant. There are some significantly intense negative feelings and impacts they have experienced. Some circumcised men in those threads (particularly the ones on bigger subreddits like askmen, askreddit, etc) who cannot comprehend how any guy would feel mutilated or any negative emotions about being circumcised. And quite a few from men in the middle who were circumcised as infants and ok with it, but have elected not to do it to their sons.

Some friends of mine from Jewish or Muslim backgrounds expressed regrets to me. The guy from the Muslim background was an atheist, so he had been circumcised for no reason meaningful to him.

(Note: this is in a society where the majority of males are uncut; I suppose this would be different in the US.)

I assume that sometimes stories are exaggerated and yes, I believe there are people who feel bad about being circumcised as a child. Though in my opinion that's only a very very few people. As long as the little gentleman is doing his thing with a satisfactory result, most men don't mind I would assume. After all, we're men, we don't mind many things 😁

I was very much against circumcision until my son was confronted with phimosis and had to undergo the procedure. I studied all I could about it and decided to be circumcised as well.

My decision was based on many years being uncut and wanting something else, the erotic view of circumcised and especially the annoying prepuce sliding over the head during intercourse.

Now, a decennia later I didn't regret it a single second.

@Tonykiko67 I don't think it's an exaggeration, rather I think it's an experience. Many parents do not take the time to explain to their children what circumcision is.

And that raises a lot of questions. How lucky you were to be able to investigate and make the best possible decision. For you but especially for your son.

In my case, I grew up circumcised at 6, luckily my parents always explained or guided me as best as possible. And now as a father of 3 boys, and facing the decision with my middle son, I explained to him everything that he can understand and a little more in case he needs it, Why is he struggling a bit and the doctor has already recommended it or rather suggested it.

As many say or mention here, it can be more aesthetically pleasing when done correctly. But they also have many disadvantages.

I was left intact but when I found out about it and discovered what it feels like to pull the skin back and be bare-headed I was almost angry that I had not been circumcised when I was a baby like so many of my schoolmates. For many years I tried to keep retracted and failed and although I was not obsessed I never lost the strong desire to be circumcised. I had it done as an adult and I was thrilled. I never fetishized the medical aspect of it - I don't find anything sexy about scalpels, stitches or scars, and if it was possible to take a pill and have the foreskin shrink away and disappear I would have taken that option. What really excites me is the idea of having a sensitive, intimate part of my body exposed and vulnerable at all times and constantly stimulated whether I like it or not (and I do like it so very much). As an adult I appreciate the fact that the decision was not made for me, and I suspect that if it had been I probably would have obsessed over wondering what being intact would be like.