[Hypospadias--a psychological view. Psychosocial and psychosexual implications]

This theoretical research paper refers to the psychological consequences ofhypospadias, a male congenital deficiency of the urethra. Hypospadias is defined as an abnormal opening of the urethra on the underside of the penis and is a frequently found malformation with an incidence of 1 per 300 males. This malformation affects one of the most personal parts of the male anatomy and its psychological repercussions are undeniable. The vast majority of studies concerning this condition are found in the medical domain: surgical and pediatric urology and endocrynology. The difficulty in finding data about psychological implications of hypospadias, along with the lack of opportunities for discussing it was an objective to contribute a modest advancement in the field of psychology. Because of the fact that hypospadias is a psychological condition as well as a physical one, this theoretical paper discusses the influenceses of the condition on the patient's psychosocial (in the view of E. H. Erikson's theory) and psychosexual development (relation to the object theory of O. F. Kernberg).