Penis envy in Freudian
psychoanalysisPsychoanalysis is a body of ideas developed by Austrian physician Sigmund Freud and continued by others. It is primarily devoted to the study of human psychological functioning and behavior, although it also can be applied to societies.
...
refers to the theorized reaction of a
girlA girl is any female human from birth through childhood and adolescence to attainment of adulthood. The term may also be used to mean a young woman.-Etymology:...
during her
psychosexual developmentThe concept of psychosexual development, as envisioned by Sigmund Freud at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century, is a central element in his sexual drive theory, which posits that, from birth, humans have instinctual sexual appetites which unfold in a series of stages...
to the realization that she does not have a
penisThe penis is an external sexual organ of certain biologically male organisms, in both vertebrates and invertebrates....
. Freud considered this realization a defining moment in the development of
genderGender identity is the gender, or lack thereof, a person self-identifies as. It is not necessarily based on biological fact, either real or perceived, nor is it always based on sexual orientation...
and
sexual identitySexual identity is a term that, like sex, has two distinctively different meanings. One describes an identity roughly based on sexual orientation, the other an identity based on sexual characteristics, which is not socially based but based on biology, a concept related to, but different from,...
for women. According to Freud, the parallel reaction in
boysA boy is a young male human , as contrasted to its female counterpart, girl, or an adult male, a man.The term "boy" is primarily used to indicate biological sex distinctions, cultural gender role distinctions or both...
to the realization that girls do not have a penis is
castration anxietyCastration anxiety is an idea invented by Sigmund Freud in his writings on the Oedipus complex; it posits a deep-seated fear or anxiety in boys and men said to originate during the phallic stage of sexual development. It asserts that small boys, when seeing a female's genitalia, will falsely assume...
.
In contemporary culture, the term is sometimes used symbolically or metaphorically to refer to the idea that women wish they had a penis, or to refer to anxieties between men about the size of their genitals.
Sigmund FreudSigmund Freud , Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the psychoanalytic school of psychology...
introduced the concept of a little girl's interest in—and envy of— the penis in his 1908 article "On the Sexual Theories of Children," but did not fully develop the idea until substantially later in 1914 when his work
On NarcissismOn Narcissism was a 1914 book by Sigmund Freud, widely considered an introduction to Freud's theories of narcissism.In this paper, Freud sums up his earlier discussions on the subject of narcissism and considers its place in sexual development...
was published.
Penis envy in Freudian
psychoanalysisPsychoanalysis is a body of ideas developed by Austrian physician Sigmund Freud and continued by others. It is primarily devoted to the study of human psychological functioning and behavior, although it also can be applied to societies.
...
refers to the theorized reaction of a
girlA girl is any female human from birth through childhood and adolescence to attainment of adulthood. The term may also be used to mean a young woman.-Etymology:...
during her
psychosexual developmentThe concept of psychosexual development, as envisioned by Sigmund Freud at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century, is a central element in his sexual drive theory, which posits that, from birth, humans have instinctual sexual appetites which unfold in a series of stages...
to the realization that she does not have a
penisThe penis is an external sexual organ of certain biologically male organisms, in both vertebrates and invertebrates....
. Freud considered this realization a defining moment in the development of
genderGender identity is the gender, or lack thereof, a person self-identifies as. It is not necessarily based on biological fact, either real or perceived, nor is it always based on sexual orientation...
and
sexual identitySexual identity is a term that, like sex, has two distinctively different meanings. One describes an identity roughly based on sexual orientation, the other an identity based on sexual characteristics, which is not socially based but based on biology, a concept related to, but different from,...
for women. According to Freud, the parallel reaction in
boysA boy is a young male human , as contrasted to its female counterpart, girl, or an adult male, a man.The term "boy" is primarily used to indicate biological sex distinctions, cultural gender role distinctions or both...
to the realization that girls do not have a penis is
castration anxietyCastration anxiety is an idea invented by Sigmund Freud in his writings on the Oedipus complex; it posits a deep-seated fear or anxiety in boys and men said to originate during the phallic stage of sexual development. It asserts that small boys, when seeing a female's genitalia, will falsely assume...
.
In contemporary culture, the term is sometimes used symbolically or metaphorically to refer to the idea that women wish they had a penis, or to refer to anxieties between men about the size of their genitals.
Freud's Theory
Sigmund FreudSigmund Freud , Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the psychoanalytic school of psychology...
introduced the concept of a little girl's interest in—and envy of— the penis in his 1908 article "On the Sexual Theories of Children," but did not fully develop the idea until substantially later in 1914 when his work
On NarcissismOn Narcissism was a 1914 book by Sigmund Freud, widely considered an introduction to Freud's theories of narcissism.In this paper, Freud sums up his earlier discussions on the subject of narcissism and considers its place in sexual development...
was published. It was not mentioned in the first edition of Freud's earlier
Three Contributions to the Theory of SexThree Essays on the Theory of Sexuality is a 1905 work by Sigmund Freud which advanced his theory of sexuality, in particular its relation to childhood...
(1905).
The term came to significance as Freud gradually refined his views of female sexuality, coming to describe a mental process he believed occurred in girls as they passed through the
Electra complexThe Electra complex is the psychoanalytic theory that a female's psychosexual development involves a sexual attachment to her father, and is analogous to a boy's attachment to his mother that forms the basis of the Oedipus complex.- Jung and Freud :...
from the
phallic stageThe Phallic stage is the third stage of Sigmund Freud's theory of psychosexual development that occurs between the ages of 3 and 6. The source of pleasure at this stage is the genitals. This is also the stage where the conflict of the Oedipus complex is worked through. The Oedipus complex is...
to the latency stage (see
Psychosexual developmentThe concept of psychosexual development, as envisioned by Sigmund Freud at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century, is a central element in his sexual drive theory, which posits that, from birth, humans have instinctual sexual appetites which unfold in a series of stages...
).
In Freud’s psychosexual development theory, the
phallic stageThe Phallic stage is the third stage of Sigmund Freud's theory of psychosexual development that occurs between the ages of 3 and 6. The source of pleasure at this stage is the genitals. This is also the stage where the conflict of the Oedipus complex is worked through. The Oedipus complex is...
(approximately between the ages of 3.5 and 6) is the first period of development in which the libidinal focus is primarily on the genital area. Prior to this stage, the
libidoLibido in its common usage means sexual desire; however, more technical definitions, such as those found in the work of Carl Jung, are more general, referring to libido as the free creative—or psychic—energy an individual has to put toward personal development or individuation.- History of the...
(broadly defined by Freud as the primary motivating energy force within the mind) focuses on other physiological areas. For instance, in the
oral stage, in the first 12 to 18 months of life, libidinal needs concentrate on the desire to eat, sleep, suck and bite. The theory suggests that the penis becomes the organ of principal interest to
both sexes in the phallic stage. This becomes the catalyst for a series of pivotal events in psychosexual development. These events—known as the
Oedipus complexThe Oedipus complex, in psychoanalytic theory, is a group of largely unconscious ideas and feelings which centre around the desire to possess the parent of the opposite sex and eliminate the parent of the same sex....
for boys and the
Electra complexThe Electra complex is the psychoanalytic theory that a female's psychosexual development involves a sexual attachment to her father, and is analogous to a boy's attachment to his mother that forms the basis of the Oedipus complex.- Jung and Freud :...
for girls—result in significantly different outcomes for each gender because of differences in anatomy.
For
girls:
- Soon after the libidinal shift to the penis, the child develops her first sexual impulses towards her mother.
- The girl realizes that she is not physically equipped to have a heterosexual relationship with her mother, since she does not have a penis.
- She desires a penis, and the power that it represents. This is described as penis envy
Penis envy in Freudian psychoanalysis refers to the theorized reaction of a girl during her psychosexual development to the realization that she does not have a penis. Freud considered this realization a defining moment in the development of gender and sexual identity for women...
. She sees the solution as obtaining her father’s penis.
- She develops a sexual desire for her father.
- The girl blames her mother for her apparent castration (what she sees as punishment by the mother for being attracted to the father) assisting a shift in the focus of her sexual impulses from her mother to her father.
- Sexual desire for her father leads to the desire to replace and eliminate her mother.
- The girl identifies with her mother so that she might learn to mimic her, and thus replace her.
- The child anticipates that both aforementioned desires will incur punishment (by the principle of lex talionis)
- The girl employs the defence mechanism
In Freudian psychoanalytic theory, defence mechanisms or defense mechanisms are psychological strategies brought into play by various entities to cope with reality and to maintain self-image. Healthy persons normally use different defences throughout life...
of displacementIn psychology, displacement is an unconscious defense mechanism whereby the mind redirects effects from an object felt to be dangerous or unacceptable to an object felt to be safe or acceptable...
to shift the object of her sexual desires from her father to men in general.
The offshoot of these events, often cited in the media and colloquially, is that a girl really wants to become her mother, so that she can control her father.
A similar process occurs in boys of the same age as they pass through the phallic stage of development. The key differences being that the focus of sexual impulses need not switch from mother to father, and that the fear of castration (
castration anxietyCastration anxiety is an idea invented by Sigmund Freud in his writings on the Oedipus complex; it posits a deep-seated fear or anxiety in boys and men said to originate during the phallic stage of sexual development. It asserts that small boys, when seeing a female's genitalia, will falsely assume...
) remains. The boy desires his mother, and identifies with his father, whom he sees as having the object of his sexual impulses. Furthermore, the boy’s father, being the powerful aggressor of the family unit, is sufficiently menacing that the boy employs the defense mechanism of
displacementIn psychology, displacement is an unconscious defense mechanism whereby the mind redirects effects from an object felt to be dangerous or unacceptable to an object felt to be safe or acceptable...
to shift the object of his sexual desires from his mother to women in general.
Freud thought this series of events occurred prior to the development of a wider sense of sexual identity, and was required for an individual to continue to enter into his or her
genderGender commonly refers to the set of characteristics that humans perceive as distinguishing between male and female entities, extending from one's biological sex to, in humans, one's social role or gender identity. As a term, "gender" has more than one valid definition...
role.
While fashionable for a number of decades, the concept of penis envy is no longer regarded as a serious one by some modern psychoanalysts.
Within psychoanalytic circles
Although popular in the early twentieth century when the theory was initially floated, Freud’s theories regarding psychosexual development (in particular the
phallic stage and the Oedipal crisis) have been discredited. Theories by other influential psychoanalysts, such as
Erik EriksonErik Erikson was a Danish-German-American developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst known for his theory on social development of human beings. He may be most famous for coining the phrase identity crisis. His son, Kai T...
and
Jean PiagetJean Piaget was a Swiss psychologist and philosopher, well known for his pedagogical studies...
are widely believed to be more broadly accurate and applicable to child psychological development. Having said this, Freud’s theory continues to be relevant in some theoretical circumstances, and is of such historical significance that it continues to find its way into psychoanalytical teachings. Most of Freud's theories are still taught as part of curriculum in almost all universities and academic circles.
Feminist criticisms
A significant number of critics, activists and
feministsThe term Feminism can be used to describe an academic discourse, or to describe a political, cultural or economic movement aimed at establishing more rights and legal protection for women...
, have been highly critical of penis envy as a concept and
psychoanalysisPsychoanalysis is a body of ideas developed by Austrian physician Sigmund Freud and continued by others. It is primarily devoted to the study of human psychological functioning and behavior, although it also can be applied to societies.
...
as a discipline, arguing that the assumptions and approaches of the psychoanalytic project are profoundly
patriarchalPatriarchy is the structuring of family units based on the man, as father figure, having primary authority over the rest of the family members. Patriarchy also refers to the role of men in society more generally where men take primary responsibility over the welfare of the community as a whole...
, anti-feminist, and misogynistic and represent women as broken or deficient men.
Karen HorneyKaren Horney born Danielsen was a German psychoanalyst and psychiatrist of Norwegian and Dutch descent. Her theories questioned some traditional Freudian views, particularly his theory of sexuality, as well as the instinct orientation of psychoanalysis and its genetic psychology...
—a German psychoanalyst who also placed great emphasis on childhood experiences in psychological development—was a particular advocate of this view. She asserted the concept of "
womb envyWomb envy, a term coined by Karen Horney, is the neo-Freudian feminist equivalent of penis envy. Horney suggests that it is the unexpressed anxiety felt by men, naturally envying pregnancy, nursing, and motherhood—of woman’s primary role in creating and sustaining life—that leads them to dominate...
" to challenge the idea of penis envy.
A small but influential number of Feminist philosophers have worked within Psychoanalysis (see Psychoanalytic feminism), including
Luce IrigarayLuce Irigaray is a Belgian feminist, philosopher, linguist, psychoanalytic, sociologist and cultural theorist. She is best known for her works Speculum of the Other Woman and This Sex Which Is Not One .-Biography:...
,
Julia KristevaJulia Kristeva is a Bulgarian-French philosopher, literary critic, psychoanalyst, sociologist, feminist, and, most recently, novelist, who has lived in France since the mid-1960s. Kristeva became influential in international critical analysis, cultural theory and feminism after publishing her...
and
Hélène CixousHélène Cixous is a professor, French feminist writer, poet, playwright, philosopher, literary critic and rhetorician. In 2009, she was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Literature by University College, London.- Biography :...
who operate within a Post-Structuralist Feminist tradition inspired by
Jacques LacanJacques-Marie-Émile Lacan was a French psychoanalyst and psychiatrist who made prominent contributions to psychoanalysis, philosophy, and literary theory. He gave yearly seminars, in Paris, from 1953 to 1981, mostly influencing France's intellectuals in the 1960s and the 1970s, especially the...
and
Jacques DerridaJacques Derrida was a French philosopher born in Algeria, who is known as the founder of deconstruction. His voluminous work had a profound impact upon literary theory and continental philosophy...
.
Juliet MitchellJuliet Mitchell is a British Psychoanalyst and socialist feminist, who is currently a fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge and Professor of Psychoanalysis and Gender Studies at Cambridge University....
—another Feminist theorist—attempted to reconcile Freud's thoughts on psychosexual development with Feminism and Marxism by declaring his theories to be simply observations of gender identity under
capitalismCapitalism is an economic and social system in which the means of production are privately controlled; labor, goods and capital are traded in a market; profits are distributed to owners or invested in technologies and industries; and wages are paid to labor...
. She proposed a shift to Marxist models of rearing children which would result in the dismantling of the
Electra complexThe Electra complex is the psychoanalytic theory that a female's psychosexual development involves a sexual attachment to her father, and is analogous to a boy's attachment to his mother that forms the basis of the Oedipus complex.- Jung and Freud :...
and the
Oedipus complexThe Oedipus complex, in psychoanalytic theory, is a group of largely unconscious ideas and feelings which centre around the desire to possess the parent of the opposite sex and eliminate the parent of the same sex....
and the avoidance of penis envy.
Male penis envy
Unrelated to penis envy as referred to in psychoanalysis, is "small penis syndrome" which is the anxiety of thinking one's penis is too small - even though it isn't. The female equivalent is "small breast anxiety" which is a woman's discontentment about her breast size.
The media attention given to penis size and some women being vocal in their penis size preferences have led some men to state their anxiety over their penis size. Television shows such as
Sex and the CitySex and the City is an American cable television series. The original run of the show was broadcast on HBO from 1998 until 2004, for a total of six seasons....
and
Ally McBealAlly McBeal is an American television series which ran on the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who also served as the executive producer, along with Bill D'Elia...
popularised the penis size issue when characters in these TV shows stated their preference for well-endowed men over more modestly-endowed men. Also, in the 1977 film
Annie HallAnnie Hall is a 1977 American romantic comedy film directed by Woody Allen from a script co-written with Marshall Brickman. One of Allen's most popular films, it won numerous awards at the time of its release, including four Academy Awards, and in 2002 Roger Ebert referred to it as "just about...
,
Woody AllenWoody Allen is an American screenwriter, film director, actor, comedian, writer, musician, and playwright....
's character, upon hearing the question asked by the title character about penis envy, replied that he "was one of the few males that suffered from it."
Men can underestimate the size of their own penises, see Perceptions of penis size. Also, there are wide differences between flaccid and erect states which can be misleading as in 'growers' and 'showers.'
See also
- Castration anxiety
Castration anxiety is an idea invented by Sigmund Freud in his writings on the Oedipus complex; it posits a deep-seated fear or anxiety in boys and men said to originate during the phallic stage of sexual development. It asserts that small boys, when seeing a female's genitalia, will falsely assume...
- Electra complex
The Electra complex is the psychoanalytic theory that a female's psychosexual development involves a sexual attachment to her father, and is analogous to a boy's attachment to his mother that forms the basis of the Oedipus complex.- Jung and Freud :...
- Sexuality
Human sexuality is how people experience the erotic and express themselves as sexual beings. Frequently driven by the desire for sexual pleasure, human sexuality has biological, physical and emotional aspects...
- Penis panic
Genital retraction syndrome , generally considered a culture-specific syndrome, is a condition in which an individual is overcome with the belief that his/her external genitals—or also, in females, breasts—are retracting into the body, shrinking, or in some male cases, may be imminently...
- Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is a body of ideas developed by Austrian physician Sigmund Freud and continued by others. It is primarily devoted to the study of human psychological functioning and behavior, although it also can be applied to societies.
...
- Psychosexual stages
The concept of psychosexual development, as envisioned by Sigmund Freud at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century, is a central element in his sexual drive theory, which posits that, from birth, humans have instinctual sexual appetites which unfold in a series of stages...
- Vagina envy
Vagina envy is a psychoanalytic concept that posits that men are envious of women having vaginas. It has been compared to penis envy in women. Hendrik Ruitenbeek connects vagina envy to men's desire to be able to give birth or urinate in a different way...
- Womb envy
Womb envy, a term coined by Karen Horney, is the neo-Freudian feminist equivalent of penis envy. Horney suggests that it is the unexpressed anxiety felt by men, naturally envying pregnancy, nursing, and motherhood—of woman’s primary role in creating and sustaining life—that leads them to dominate...
External links