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10. Female Sexual Development in Freudian Theory
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io. Female Sexual Development in Freudian Theory Oedipal Development in Girls Two importan t factor s contribute d t o Freud' s formulatio n o f a theor y about femal e sexua l development . On e wa s his fea r o f seein g women a s sexually active , an d th e othe r wa s the fea r o f his ow n aggression . Freu d did not acknowledg e tha t women hav e their own sexua l desires and see k gratification. I n hi s unconscious mind , seein g his preoedipal mother a s a temptress would probabl y mean to him that she would b e sent to hell as a sinner , an d h e woul d b e abandoned . A reaso n fo r Freud' s subsequen t rejection o f the seduction theory may have been a denial of the seductiv e sexuality o f hi s mother . Th e rejectio n o f th e theor y occurre d afte r hi s father's death, when Freud dreamed that he closed one eye: the blind spot could possibly have been the denial of his mother's influence, particularl y her aggressiv e sexuality . Nowhere i n th e Standar d Editio n o f hi s collecte d work s doe s Freu d discuss matricide. However, patricide is a prominent theme. The omission of death wishes toward th e mother i s most likely due to the denial of his ambivalence towar d hi s own mother . Protectin g hi s mother agains t los s was an important dynamic in Freud's early childhood. Consciously, Freu d idealized his mother and denied anger. To deal with his dread of maternal abandonment, h e embarke d o n a circuitous rout e t o explai n femininity . He denie d th e basi c feminin e natur e o f women an d attempte d t o mak e them int o diminishe d men . I n femal e developmen t durin g th e phalli c 95 96 Freud and Feminine Psychology phase, Freu d considere d tha t littl e girl s observ e th e mal e peni s an d fee l castrated and inferior. H e believed that girls then suffer fro m "env y of the penis whic h will leav e ineradicabl e trace s o n thei r developmen t an d th e formation o f thei r characte r an d whic h wil l not b e surmounte d i n eve n the most favourable cases without a severe expenditure of psychical energy" (1933, 125) . During thi s oedipa l period , girl s tur n t o thei r father s t o giv e the m a gift o f a penis. This desire for a penis is then sublimated into the hope t o have a child b y the father. Girl s become intereste d i n playing with dolls , which represent a symbolic penis. With the resolution of the oedipal phase, the girl s giv e u p thei r sexua l desir e fo r th e fathe r an d identif y wit h th e mother. However , Freu d mad e n o mentio n tha t girl s might enjo y thei r own sexuality . No r di d h e conside r tha t boy s migh t env y girl s o f thei r physical endowments o r their abilit y to create new life . The firs t internalizatio n o f a parent , accordin g t o Freud , i s afte r th e child resolve s th e Oedipu s complex . Fo r th e bo y i t i s resolve d afte r h e gives up hi s desire for hi s mother an d identifies wit h hi s father. Th e bo y relinquishes hi s desir e fo r th e mothe r onl y becaus e o f th e threa t o f castration b y the father. Th e boy then internalizes the father. Freu d saw the father, an d no t th e mother , a s the first parent internalize d b y both boy s and girls. The father form s th e core of the superego. Because women d o not hav e a penis, they d o...