oral gratification

Definitions

1. 1

   In Freudian psychology, the satisfaction felt in infancy when the need for food,…

   In Freudian psychology, the satisfaction felt in infancy when the need for food, especially from the mother's breast, is fulfilled, and which in later life can be associated with such dysfunctional behaviors as excessive eating, drinking, or smoking.

   • Oral gratification was offered almost continuously—between-meal nourishment, before-bed treats, chewing gum and toys which could be sucked and chewed.
   • These experiences left him with a rather unsteady control over his angry impulses, particularly when denied oral gratification such as a drink of liquor.
   • Smoking is, at heart, oral gratification. There is, shall we say, a certain sexual implication in putting our lips around a long, thin object, ingesting its essence into the mouth, perhaps swallowing it, then expelling it.

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