FEMALESEXUALITY

TheEarly Psychoanalytic Controversies

Editedby Russe/lGrigg, Dominique Hecq, ondCraig Smith

KARNAC Early Stagesof the Oedipus Conflict 76

l1 The Evolution of the Oedipus Complex in Women 159 The papers rncludeC ::-.i leanneLampl de Groot :l,ternattonal lourna, j .{braham's'Ongrns ar.d 1,2 Womanliness as a Masquerade 772 appeared rn hls Se,e::cx loan Riaiere H om osexua htl" app'ea red llv Psvchmnalvtrc Qua,:a 13 The Significance of Masochism in the Mental Lile of iohan van Ophuu-n F:er Women 183 h'omen to the Dutch Psvc: HeleneDeutsch ictnes read a paper on ( .{,nah'tical Socieh T4 The Pregenital Antecedents of the Oedipus Complex 195 Though these pape:: a 'rairtr', and though sc':r.e rt'here,they have never br 15 On FemaleHomosexuality 220 rt'ho has read these paFte!.,l HeleneDeutsch ol female sexualirr But rl : :here are two further corLqtr The Dread of Woman: Obselvations on a Specific .lebate that take place I'ett Dfference in the Dread Felt by Men and Women s:derable impact ther nac Respectively for the Opposite Sex 24r 'ieses. The papers ha...ea : I(arenHorney today'will also shon ther , s:de psl'choanalvslsor rer: The of the Vagina: a Contribution to the We have correctai s Problem of the Genital Anxieties Specific to Women 253 spellrng errors in the cnFr I(arenHorney .r' accessibleversron-q e: :. the references.Thrs u^cluC Passivity, Masochism and Femininity 26 been altered to volune al Marie Bonaparte CompletePsychologrca;,i :-r Press and the lnshtute -.i P Early FemaleSexuality w5 The articles have b,,er?r Ernestlones of publication. The or,e err op€ns the collection. Tr:-. Bibliography zfrc debated in the literar.rre :

Index 293 BiographicalNotes acted as witness when she married the composer Mark Brunswick. On r:n r :?:ro Monday 14 September 1936,she filmed the Freuds'golden wedding cele- r -r: :f ?.t? i brations. rrft"-]\' ftU -1 1

HeleneDeutsch (1884 - 1982) i =-. ,.--rt . | -i "

Helene Deutsch spent her childhood in what is now Poland. In 1907 ar.-rj r :r:rG:Efl? Deutsch enrolled at the Universig of Vienna to train as a doctor and went r.n'rtD * rl I on to specialize in psychiatry. By 1918 she had joined the Vierura :1 irtsf ir r€r Psychoanalytic Society and shortly afterwards began an analysis with l"-r'r.&|rlf- Frj I 7y, Freud, She rapidly came to prominence in the Society and in 1924 was -r;r.ra-i-J I tl appointed head of the Society's newly established Training Institute. In rrFr}rattu-f 1935Deutsch migrated to the United Statesto take up a position in Boston, t :r"f.fl-'r :L.fIl where she remained, teaching, writing and analysing turtil her death in ry r:!: i.:.l3 r :r 1982.Her later views on female sexuality are to be found in her two vol- r;al';rr-Y =f F"t ume work, ThePsychology of Womat =.rt? G!?a fr: : rl i t!-r :F^ "113-3!--rf, Otto Fenichel(7898 - 1946) .-rrt ?TnaFr I I fu:srrIr Otto Fenichel was one of the younger members of the Berlin group. Hr: : :5 ;ga Analyzed by the Hungarian analyst Sandor Rado, Fenichel went on to | 3'1r.-' establish himself as a highly regarded teacherand practitioner of psycho- analysis. His pedagogic reputation led to a number of positions in the 'lf: 1930s,culminating in a training position in Los Angeles in 1938.Shortly *rsqa .-fr before his prcmature death at the age of 48, Fenichel published what has been described as a 'classictextbook' of ,Tlu Psychoanalytic l-r--r -e :F Fr Theoryof Neurosis. $r 'Uft--r, :f lr td ;-rr: :-A7'= a

f rFfl :'-'lrl KarenHorney /1885- 1952) irrer i*:r=r;= I ttrlrlt r{!f. =.I' : Karen Homey trained as a doctor at the University of Berlin and went on rf f..l-- AS"tlE to train in psychiatry and psychoanalysis.She was in analysis with Karl E:frl..r f ff Abraham and then Hans Sachs.ln responseto the rise of Nazism in 1932 rr: r*c..cr: -r*i Horney migrated to the United States,first to Chicago under the sponsor- ftf& .tfl t.|grF:"1 ship of Franz Alexander, then to New York. ln 1941 the New York lll ftfr.1 :i*- -.1 Psychoanalytic lnstitute withdrew her name as a training analyst and r€tu:r -t A-*"+ri1 instructor. Horney resigned and was active in founding an altemative group, the American Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis. In the United Statesher work came increasingly to emphasisecultural fac- BiographicalNotes

the compooer Mark Bnrnswick. On tors in the determination of psychopathology. This is particularly evident red the Freuds' golden wedding cele- in two of her late, popular work, Thc NanroticPnsonality of Our Time and Neurosisand Huttun Grwth.

Ernestlona 0879 - 1958) rd rn whrat is now Poland. In 1907 Freud's biographer, Ernest |ones was a relentlesscampaigner for psycho- i \"cnna to train as a doctor and went analysis. He was a maior figure in the for,rnding and subsequent running ' l91E she had joined the Vienna of the British Psycho-Analytical Society and the American Psychoanalytic dterwards began an analysis with Association and would later become president of the lntemational n the Society and in 7924 was Psychoanalytical Association for an unequalled term of seventeenyears. yh'"rre estabhshedTraining lnstitute. In Joneswas a prolific writer and noted polerticist in psychoanalytic matters. Statesto take up a position in Boston, He originally trained as a doctor and specialized in psychiatry befonecom- ng and analysing until her death in ing into Freud's circle around the same time as . [t was at his nirn' are to be found in her two vol- suggestion that Freud established the secret irurer Soup known as the 'Committee', made up of the test and most trustworthy' of Freud's fol- lowers; and it was fones that Freud described as'a fanatic who smiles at my faint-heartedness'.On the other hand, Jones'swritings on female sex- uality representa major break with Freud's position, reiecting what he was the first to term Frcud's 'phallocentrism'. Jones'sPaPers have been Pub- rt?r sr€mbers of the Berlin group. lished in his Papers on Psycho-Arulysisand Esvys in Applied Psycho- Sendor Rado, Fenichel went on to Analysis, J exher and practitioner of psycho- .cd to a nurtber of positions in the bon rn L"c Angeles in 1938.Shortly Melanie Klein fi882 - 1950) r oi 16, F.eruchelpublished what has ci psvchoanaly sis, Tlu Psychoanalytic Klein has been one of the most influential, albeit controversial, figures in the history of psychoanalysis.The paper included here is from her early period, presented shortly after she had settled in [.ondon. Klein was bom in Vienna, but moved to Hungary in 1909 and entered analysis with Sdndor Ferenczi. After the counter-revolution in Budapest in 191.9she moved again, this time to Berlin, whete she undertook a further analysis he Unrversity of Berlin and went on with Karl Abraham. Around this time Klein b"g* developing the Play Jlsrs She was in analysis with Karl technique in order to facilitate analysis with very young children. Klein pdrs€ to the rise of Nazism in 1932 also introduced new conceptsand a new emphasis in orientation for Psy- . first to Chicagounder the sponsor- choanalysts, especially in regard to the emergenceof psychical processes ve*' York. In 1941 the New York in infancy. Her nwnerous publications have appeared in a four-.volume er na.me as a training analyst and edition, The Writings of Melanie Klein. i rctrve in founding an alternative he Advancementof Psychoanalysis. reasrngly to emphasisecultural fac- 16

The Dread ubcequentidentification with the once loved of Woman: Obsen'atione on a Specific Difference in the ss of a Caseof Homosexualityin a Woman Dread Felt by Men and women Respectively for the opposite sex

I bv Otto Fenicheltn Pmtersionen,Psychoxn Karcn Horney (1932) |nanalytrscherVerlag, 1932) (English trans- rl hychoanalysis', PsychmnnlyticQunrtulu s rs Freud'scase. These cases also represenr ln ternationalI ournal of Psy clw- Atulysis 13( I 932):348{0 eectionto being disappointedby him.

I Fcmale Sexuality',above, Y,nrenHorney's paper startswith a meditationon poetry 2l22343. toforeground the ideas (water) en Scrwlfunktionen(Vienna: Internationaler of womanas otherand as prirul element tlut swallowsup theman who is seduced.Horney suggeststhat run striws to free himselffrom the dreadof womanby seekingobiectiue groundsfor it and shewarns against the cultural con- sequencesof this stateof ffiirs. ThusHorney really asPatwo questionshere: Why this dreadof woman,which is ktpt setet as a strategyin suyport of male self- respect?And why thisabhorrefice, or fear, of theaagina tlut is soblatant in male homosexuality,fetishism and in the dreamsof aII maleanalysands, and yet so oftenconcealed behind the dread of thefather? Her reply is that the masculinedread of womanas motheror of thefemale genital is more deep-seatedand morc strongly repressedthan the dreadof the father. Moreouer,the father is more tangibleand fearing him leaaesmale self- esteemintact. Furtherquestions follow fro^ here:Wlut is theorigin of thisanxiety? And whdtare its cluracteristics? Horneydisputes Freud's idea tlut the vaginaremains 'undiscoaered'for the child and notes,along with Carl Miiller-Braunschweig,tlut thephallic impulse as such is a desireto penetrate,She infers tlut the little boy imaginesa comple- mentaryfemale organ. The 'undiscoaered'tngina is thueforea denieduagina. The Iittle boy'sanxiety is linlcedto theprohibition of instinctual actiaitiesenforced by the mother,to his erperienceof sadisticimpulses towards the mother'sbody and to the specificfate of the genitalimpulseq The masculine dread of womanis thus a narcissisticanxiety, FinaIIy,note too that Horney alsodisputes the equations male=sadistic and female=masochistic.

[n his ballad of.The Diuer fthiller tells how a squire leaps into a dangerous whirlpool in order to win a woman-at first symbolized by a goblet. Horror-struck, he describesthe perils of the d""p by which he is doomed to be engulfed: 242 Tlrc Dreadof Woman

Yet at length comesa lull o'er the mighty commotion, woman's enchanlment. As the whirlpool sucksinto black smoothnessthe swell mast in order to escaPe Of the white-foaming breakers-and cleavesthrough the ocean riddle of the Sphrnxcan A path that seemswinding in darknessto hell. it forfeit their lives. Thr Round and round whirled the waves-deeper and deeperstill driven, headsof the suitorsr+'ho Like a gorge through the mountainous main thunder-riven! of the king's beautrfuld, Huppy they whom the rose-huesof daylight reioice, of slain men. Samson, The air and the sky that to mortals anegiven! strength by Delilah. Jud: M.y the horror below never monefind a voice- Salomecarries the headr Nor man stretch too far the wide mercy of Heaven! becausemale prieststea: Never more-never more may he lift from the sight Spirit' destroyseven' m. The veil which is woven with Terror and Night! particularlyevil, but srm Below at the foot of the precipicedrear, such instancesis rnfrnrte Spreadthe glowing, and purple, and pathlessObscure! self of his dread of n'or A silenceof Horror that slept on the ear, dread heu it is that shei That the eye more appalled might the Horor endure! of prey, a vampire, a t^'l Salamander-snake-dra gon-vast reptiles that dw ell sonificationof what rs st In the deep,coil'd about the grim jaws of their hell. of the whole mascuirne (Translationby Bulwer Lytton.) flict between the man s , To primitive sersrbr The sameidea is expressed,though far more pleasantly,in the Song of pnesenceof the bloocit the Fisherboyn WilhelmTell: her during menstruatto wither away,the frshen The clear smiling lake woo'd to bathe in its deep, involves the utrnost dar A boy on its green shorehad laid him to sleep; Virginity',r it is the husb' Then heard he a melody Freudtoo objectifiesths Flowing and soft, castration-imPulsesrt' h r And sweet as when angelsare singing aloft. sons why this is rrot ar. And as thrilling with pleasurehe wakes from his rest, taboo itself. tn the frrst I The waters are murmuring over his breast; i ration with castratton-u And a voice from the deep cries, 'With me thou must go, I charm the probably confined to r' young shepherd,I lure him below'. tude. And, secondlr,e' (Translationby TheodoreMartin.) impulses in the \A'oman, in every individual ana Men have never tired of fashioningexpressions for this experience:the which make him vre',.': violent force by which the man feels himself drawn to the woman, and, perilous an undertakrn g side by side with his longing, the dread lest through her he might die and impunity onlY bl' a mar be undone. I will mention particularly the moving expressionof this dread life or his manhood ior in Heine's poem of the legendaryLorelei, who sits high on the bank of the Is it not reallYremal Rhine and ensnarcsthe boatman with her beauty. considersthe overr't'heL Here once more it is water (representing,like the other'elements', the tle recognitionand atte primal element 'woman') that swallows up the man who succumbsto a women? It is almoet r

l KarenHorney 243 ghty commotion, woman's enchantment.Ulysses had to bid his seamen bind him to the roothnessthe swell mast in order to escapethe allurement and the danger of the sirens.The cieavesthrough the ocean riddle of the Sphinx can be solved by few, and most of those who attempt essto hell. it forfeit their lives. The royal palace in fairy-tales is adorned with the ;-{eeper and deeperstill driver headsof the suitors who have had the hardihood to try to solve the riddles us main thunder-riven! of the king's beautiful daughter.The goddessKalit danceson the corpses daylight reioice, of slain men. Samson, whom no rnan could conquer, is robbed of his re given! strength by Delilah. Judith beheadsHolofemes after giving herself to him. nd a voice- Salomecarries the head of John the Baptist on a charger.Witches arc bumt rrcyof Heaven! becausemale priestsfear the work of the devil in them. Wedekind's'Earth t from the sight Spirit'destroys every man who succumbsto her charm, not becauseshe is ' and Night! particularly evil, but simply becauseit is her nature to do so. The seriesof ear, such instancesis infinite: always, everywhere the man strives to rid him- I patNessObscure! self of his dread of women by objectifying it: 'It is not', he says, 'that I ear, dread her; it is that she herself is malignant, capableof any crime, a beast re Horror endure! of prey, a vampire, a witch, insatiable in her desires.She is the very per- reptilesthat dwell sonification of what is sinister'. M"y not this be one of the principal roots ws of their hell. of the whole masculine impulse to creative work-the never-endingcon- Lvtton.) flict between the man's longing for the woman and his dread of her?z To primitive sensibilitiesthe woman becomesdoubly sinister in the far more pleasantly,in the Songc: pr€senceof the bloody manifestationsof her womanhood. Contact with her during menstruation is fatal:r men lose their strength, the pastures wither awaf, the fisherman and the huntsman take nothing. Defloration re rn its deep, involves the ubnost danger to the man. As Freud shows in 'The Thbooof m to sleep; Virginity',r it is the husband in particular who dreads this act. In this work Freud too objectifiesthis anxiety,contenting himself with a referenceto the castration-impulseswhich do actually occur in women. Thereare two rea- ng aloft. sons why this is not an adequateexplanation of the phenomenon of the akesfrom his rest, taboo itself. tn the first place,women do not so universally react to deflo- breasU ration with castration-impulsesrecognizable as such: these impulses are 'ith me thou must go, I charm tlx probably confined to women with a strongly developed masculine atti- )w'. tude. And, secondly,even if defloration invariably aroused destructive e Martin.) impulsesin the woman, we should still have to lay bare (aswe should do in every individual analysis)the urgent impulses within the man himself rxpressionsfor this experience:t:y which make him view the first-forcible-penetration of the vagina as so mseU drawn to the woman, anc perilous an undertaking; so perilous, indeed,that it can be performed with lestthrough her he might die ar: impunity only by a man of might or by a stranger who choosesto risk his removing expressionof this drea: life or his manhood for a recompense. i, who sits high on the bank of thc Is it not really remarkable(we ask ourselvesin amazement),when one er beauty. considersthe overwhelming mass of this transparentmaterial, that sb lit- rting,like the other'elements',tJ',e tle recognition and attention are paid to the fact of men's secretdread of s up the man who succumbstc r women? It is almost more remarkable that women themselveshave so 244 TheDread of Woman long been able to overlook it; I will discussin detail elsewherethe reasons plants and animals, or one ! for their attitude in this connection(i.e. their own anxiety and the impair- falling and being ktlled ment of their self-respect).The man on his side has in the first place very Dr. Baumeler, of Dresdet obvious shategic reasonsfor keeping his dread quiet. But he also tries bv which aroseout of a chanceol every means to deny it even to himself. This is the purpose of the efforts the vagina. The physicra-nrt't to which we have alluded, to 'objectify'it in artistic and scientificcreative ment-centreand, after a hrne. work. We may conjecture that even his glorification of women has its pulled the edgesof the slil ap sourcenot only in the cravings of love, but also in his desireto give the lie fast by the ball. Of 28 bovs rr' to his dread. A similar relief is, howeve4 also sought and found in the dis- without fear and 8 could not paragementof women which men often display ostentatiouslyin all their their fingers in without a trao attitude. The attitude of love and adoration signifies:'There is no need for but none of them senousanxt me to dread a being so wonderful, so beautiful,adft so saintly'; that of dis- No doubt the dread of t paragementimplies: 'It would be too ridiculous to dread a creaturewho, dread of the father, which usa if you take her all round, is such a poor thing'.s This last way of allaying scious,behind the dread of h his anxiety has a special advantage for the man: it helps to support hrs There are two reasonsfor masculine self-respect.The latter seers to feel itself far worse threat- masculine self-regardsu ff e:: ened-far more threatenedat its very cor*by the admission of a dread the father is more actual anC of women than by the admission of dread of a man (the father). The rea- compare the difference to tha son why the self-feelingof men is so peculiarly sensitivejust in relation to ghost,The prominencegtven ! women can only be understoodby referenceto their early development,to is therefore tendentious,as which I shall retum later. analysisof the thumb-sucker In analysisthis dread of women is revealedquite clearly.Male homo. thumb, but it is the mother n'l sexuality has for its basis, in common indeed with all the other perver- which it is carriedout-the s< sions,the desireto escapefrom the female genital,or to deny its very exis- From all this I think rt srd tence.Freud has shown that this is a fundamental trait in fetishism,oin par- (the mother) or of the femair ticular; he believesit, however,to be basednot on anxiety,but on a feeling heavily and is usuallv mcr€ € of abhorrencedue to the absenceof the penis in women. I think, however, man (father), and that the en that even from his accountwe are absolutelyforced to the conclusionthat sents first and foremost a con there is anxiety at work as well. What we actually seeis dread of the vagi- sinister female genital. na, thinly disguised under the abhorrence.Only anxietyis a strong enough Is there any ontogenetrce motive to hold back from his goal a man whose is assuredlyurging (in human beings)an rnte8ral him on to union with the woman. But Freud's accountfails to explain this Is any light shed upon it l' anxiety. A boy's castration-anxietyin relation to his father is not an ade- mating which occuts frecuer quate reasonfor his dread of a being whom this punishment has already more closelybound up rr'r'$ t overtaken. Besidesthe dread of the father there must be a further dread, in whom sexualunion potent the objectof which is the woman or the female genital. Now this dread of side by side with his desr:et the vagina itself appearsunmistakably not only in homosexualsand per- the act of reunion with the r verts, but also in the dreams of every male analysand.All analysts are which underliesthe'death-rn familiar with dreamsof this sort and I need only give the merestoutline of to it with anxiety? them: e.g.a motor-car is rushing along and suddenly falls into a pit and is If we endeavourto r:lder dashed to pieces;or a boat is sailing in a narrow channeland is suddenly genetic terms, we find ourse. sucked into a whirlpool; there is a cellar with uncanny, blood-stained Freud's notion that r+'hatdu KnrenHorney 245 uss rn detail elsewherethe reasons plants and animals, or one is climbing a chimney and is in danger of their own anxiety and the imparr- falling and being killed. hrs side has in the first place ven Dr. Baumelet of Dresden,zallows me to cite a seriesof experiments rs dread quiet. But he also tries br which aroseout of a chanceobservation and which illustrate this dread of '. Thrs is the purpose of the efforts the vagina. The physician was playing ball with the children at a treat- it in artistic and scientificcreatrve ment-cenheand, aftera time, showed them that the ball had a slit in it. She ris glorification of women has rts pulled the edgesof the slit apart and put her finger in, so that it was held but also in his desireto give the he fast by the ball. Of 28 boys whom she asked to do the same,only 6 did it r, also sought and found in the dr-.- without fear and 8 could not be induced to do it at all. Of 19 girls 9 put n display ostentatiouslyin all theu their fingers in without a trace of fear; the rest showed a slight uneasiness uon signifies:'There is no need fcv but none of them seriousanxiety. lautiful, nay,so saintly'; that of drs- No doubt the dread of the vagina often concealsitself behind the rdicrrlousto dread a creaturewhc dread of the father, which is also present; or, in the language of the uncon- ,r thing'.sThis last way of allavrr,.r scious,behind the dread of the penis in the woman's vagina.r r the man: it helps to support h.:. There are two reasonsfor this: in the first place,as I have already said, rrs to feel itself far worse threa:- masculineself-regard suffers less in this way, and, secondly,the dread of :or*by the admission of a dreac the father is more actual and tangible, less uncanny in quality. We might ead of a man (the father). The rea compare the difference to that between the fear of a real enemy and of a culiarly sensitiveiust in relation :c ghost.The prominencegiven to the anxiety relating to the castratingfather €nceto their earlydevelopment, :: is therefore tendentious, as Groddeck has shown, for example, in his analysisof the thumb-suckerin Struwwelpeter:it is a man who cuts off the revealedquite clearly.Male home thumb, but it is the mother who utters the threat, and the instrument with rndeed with all the other pen er which it is carried out-the scissors-is a female symbol. ale genital,or to deny its very ex:-- From all this I think it probablethat the masculinedread of the woman trait in fetishism,oh pa:- 'damental (the mother) or of the female genital is more deep-seated,weighs morre sed not on anxiety,but on a feelri heavily and is usually mot€ energeticallyrepressed than the dread of the penis in women. I think, howeve man (father), and that the endeavour to find the penis in women repre- lutely forced to the conclusionthe' sentsfirst and foremost a convulsive attempt to deny the existenceof the veactually see is dreadof the vaF- sinister female genital. rce.Only anxietyis a strong enoutr Is there any ontogeneticexplanatisn of this anxiety?Or is it not rather n whose libido is assuredlyurgrr (in human beings)an integral part of masculineexistence and behaviour? :reud's accountfails to explain ti':s Is any light shed upon it by the state of lethargy-{ven the death-after eiation to his father is not an ade- mating which occurs frequently in male animals?sAre love and death rhom this punishmenthas alreac'. more closely bound up with one another for the male than for the female, her there must be a further drex rn whom sexualunion potentially producesa new life? Does the man feel, r femalegenital. Now this dread c side by side with his desire to conquer, a secretlonging for extinction in not only in homosexualsand ps- the act of reunion with the woman (mother)? Is it perhaps this longing male analysand.All analysts an which underliesthe'death-instinct'? And is it his will to live which reacts reedonly give the merestoutline :r to it with anxiety? and suddenly falls into a pit anc :l If we endeavourto understandthis anxiety in psychologicaland onto- a narow channeland is sudde:";. genetic terms, we find ourselvesrather at a loss if we take our stand on ellar with uncanny, blood-starne: Freud's notion that what distinguishes infantile from adult sexuality is 246 Tle Dreadof Wonun preciselythat the vagina remains'undiscovered'forthe child. According But, besidesall ths, to that view, we cannot properly speak of a genital primacy: we must improbable that the errst rather term it a primacy of the phallus. Hence it woutd be better tc 'undiscovered'.On the or describethe period of infantile genital organizationas the 'phallic phase'.,- clude that everyone eise The many recordedremarks of boys at that period of life leaveno doubt oi phallic impulsessurelv b the correctnessof the observationson which Freud's theory is based.But opening in the female b if we look more closely at the essentialcharacteristics of this phase, we lacks,for the one sex air'r' cannot help asking whether his description really sums up infantile genr- tary to it or of a nature tality as such, in its specific manifestation,or applies only to a relativelr Freud'sdictum that the s later phaseof it. Freud statesthat it is characteristicthat the boy's interest on their own sexualcor6 is concentratedin a markedly narcissisticmanner on his own penis: 'The nection that the bo1; urg driving force which this male portion of his body will generatelater at phantasya complementa puberty expressesitself in childhood essentiailyas an impulsion to inquire infer from all the mateni into things-as sexualcuriosity'. A very important part is played by ques- masculinedread of the fe tions as to the existenceand size of the phallus in other living beings. It is not at all probabk But surely the essenceof the phallic impulses proper, starting as thel beginning of that penod do from organ sensations,is a desire to penetrafe.That theseimpulses do look behind the often ven exist can hardly be doubted: they manifest themselvestoo plainly in chii- it. At puberty a bov's task dren's gamesand in the analysisof little children. Again, it would be dif- incestuousattachment to ficult to say what the boy's sexualwishes in relation to his mother reallr dread of the whole femal, consistedin if not in thesevery impulses;or why the objectof his mastur- of all he turns his back on bation-anxietyshould be the father as the castratot were it not that mas- is fully awakeneddoes rt turbation was largely the autoeroticexpression of heterosexualphalhc know that as a rule the cc impulses. dis, conflictsbelongrng to In the 'phallic phase' the boy's psychic orientation is predominantlr the course they take rs oft narcissistic:hence the period in which his genital impulses are directed er experiences.Moreover towards an objectmust be an earlier one. The possibility that they are not meet with it in the symbcr directed towards a female genital, of which he instinctively divines the unmistakably to the peno existence,must certainly be considered.In dreams,both of earlier and later At puberty a normai t life, as well as in symptomsand particularmodes of behaviour,we find, rr of the vagina,but what l' is true, representationsof coitus which are oral, anal, or sadistic withour miliar and mysterious If specific localization. But we cannot take this as a proof of the primacy of the great mystery, in whor corresponding impulses, for we are uncertain whether, or how far, these can only relateultimateir' phenomenaalready expressa displacementfrom the genital goal proper Everything else is merelv At bottom all that they amount to is to show that a given individual s What is the origrn oi influenced by specific oral, anal or sadistic trends. Their evidential value what are the factorswhrci is the lessbecause these representations are always associatedwith certarn er? affectsdirected against women, so that we cannot tell whether they mar In an articleon femaie not be essentially the product or the expression of these affects. For ous of theisefactors: it rs ti instance,the tendency to debasewomen may expressitself in anal repre- becauseit is she who tenc sentations of the female genital, while oral representationsmay express evidently experiencessad anxiety. sumably connectedn'ith t KarenHorney 242

)vered'for the child. Accordrng But, besides all this, there are various reasons why it seems to me of a genital primacy: we must improbable that the existenceof a specific female opening should remain . Hence it would be better to 'undiscovered'.On the one hand, of course,a boy will automatically con- rnrzationas the'phallic phass'.;- clude that everyone else is made like himself; but on the other hand his r period of life leaveno doubt of phallic impulses surely bid him instinctively to searchfor the appropriate rch Freud's theory is based,But opening in the female body-an opening, moreover, which he himself haracteristicsof this phase, we lacks,for the one sex always seeksin the other that which is complemen- n really sums up infantile genr- tary to it or of a nature different from its own. If we seriously accept r, or appliesonly to a relativelr Freud's dictum that the sexual theories formed by children are modelled acteristic that the boy's interest on their own sexual constitution, it must surely mean in the presentcon- nanner on his own penis: 'The nection that the boy, urged on by his impulses to penetrate, pictures in hrs body will generatelater at phantasy a complementaryfemale organ. And this is just what we should ,baUyas an impulsion to inqurre infer from all the material I quoted at the outset in connection with the nportantpart is played by ques- masculinedread of the female genital. allus in other living beings. It is not at all probablethat this anxiety datesonly from puberty.At the npulses proper, starting as ther beginning of that period the anxiety manifests itself quite clearly, if we netrate.That theseimpulses do look behind the often very exiguousfacade of boyish pride which conceals t themselvestoo plainly in chii- it. At puberty a boy's task is obviously not merely to free himself from his jrrldren.Again, it would be dif- incestuous attachment to his mother, but, more generally,to master his rn relationto his mother reailr dread of the whole female sex. His successis as a rule only gradual: first or why the objectof his mastur- of all he tums his back on girls altogether,and only when his masculinity castrator,were it not that mas- is fully awakened does it drive him over the threshold of anxiety.But we ressionof heterosexualphalhc know that as a rule the conflicts of puberty do but revive, mutatismtttan- dls,conflicts belonging to the early ripening of infantile sexuality and that lc orientationis predominantlr the course they take is often essentiallya faithful copy of a seriesof earli- s genital impulses are directed er experiences.Moreover, the grotesquecharacter of the anxiety, as we The possibility that they are not meet with it in the symbolism of dreams and literary productions, points rch he instinctively divines the unmistakably to the period of early infantile phantasy. dreams,both of earlierand later At puberty a normal boy has already acquireda consciousknowledge 'modesof behaviour,we find, r: of the vagina, but what he fears in women is something uncanny, unfa- e oral,anal, or sadisticwithout miliar and mysterious. If the grown man continues to regard woman as his as a proof of the primacy oi the great mystery, in whom is a secrethe cannot divine, this feeling of his rtarn whether, or how far, these can only relate ultimately to one thing in her: the mystery of motherhood. nt from the genital goal prop€r Everything else is merely the residue of his dread of this. ;how that a given individual s What is the origin of this anxiety? What are its characteristics?And rctrends. Their evidential value what are the factors which cloud the boy's early relations with his moth- e alwaysassociated with certarn er? 'e cannottell whether they mar In an article on femalesexualitytr Freud has pointed out the most obvi- xpression of these affects. For ous of thesefactors: it is the mother who first forbids instinctual activities, may expressitself in anal repre- becauseit is she who tends the child in its babyhood. Secondly,the child :ai representationsmay express evidently experiencessadistic impulses against its mother's body,tzpre- sumably connectedwith the rage evoked by her prohibitions, and accord- 248 The Dreadof Woman

'male' with'sadistic', and ing to the talion principle this anger has left behind a residue of anxiety. admixture of destruc'.rr Finally-and this is perhaps the principal point-the specific fate of the the genital must, accordrng:o genital impulses itself constitutesanother such factor.The anatomicaldif- Thus, if it rs frst n ferencesbetween the sexeslead to a totally different situation in girls and anxiety. wounded self-regard,lt rt':" in boys, and really to understand both their anxiety and the diversity of becomean obiectot their anxiety we must take into account first of all thechildren's real situa- anger) reinforcedrt'hen tion in the period of their early sexuality.The girl's nature as biologically generally Very often this latter ar conditioned gives her the desire to receive,to take into herself;nshe feels attitudeto womer.,a or knows that her genital is too small for her father's penis and this makes man's random from very drftererr her react to her own genital wishes with direct anxiety: she dreads that if occurs regularly in all men her wishes were fulfilled, she herself or her genital would be destroyed.tt not a distinctiaecharactenst The boy, on the other hand, feelsor instinctively judges that his penis of this sort strongly resemi is much too small for his mother's genital and rcactswith the dread of his with in women. When in ar own inadequacy, of being rejectedand derided. Thus he experiencesanx- intensity, the subiect ts nr iety which is located in quite a different quarter from the girl's: his origi- women has a markedh' net nal dread of women is not castration-anxietyat all, but a reaction to the On the other hand i ti menaceto his self-respect.ts respectleaves mone or less In order that theremay be no misunderstandinglet me emphasizethat generalattitude to women I believe these processesto take place purely instinctively on a basis of women's attifude to met organ sensationsand the tensionsof organic needs;in other words, I hold in words, it is no integral that these reactions would occur even if the girl had never seen her Part We can only grasPthe father's penis or the boy his mother's genital, and neither had any sort of study more closely the ce intellectual knowledge of the existenceof thesegenitalia. effortsto overcomeit and t Becauseof this reactionon the part of the boy, he is affectedin anoth- Accordingto mv exP€r er way and more severely by his frustration at the hands of his mother a typical ingredient rn the a than is the girl by her experiencewith her father.A blow is struck at the tality or the strucfureof hr libidinal impulses in either case.But the girl has a certain consolationin stant reserveof the worn.rn her frustration: she preservesher physical integrity; whereasthe boy is hit more clearly than thel' af in a secondsensitive spot-his senseof genital inadequacy,which has pre- P opportunity to escaP€lror sumably accompanied his libidinal desires from the beginning. If .we to evoke therr,o: assume that the most general reason for violent anger is the foiling of calculated this attituders h impulses which at the moment are of vital importance,it follows that the ic basisof a femintnet': boy's frustration by his mother must arouse a twofold fury in him: first concealedby To judge bY o\{'nel through the thrusting back of his libido upon itseUand, secondly,through mon, though (for-Y reason-s I the woundirg of his masculine self-regard.At the same time old resent- line attitude in women I ment springing from pregenitalfrustrations is probably also made to flare here;I will only sav that I c< up again. The result is that his phallic impulses to penetratemerge with is probably one of the factc his anger at frustration, and the impulses take on a sadistictinge. His typical reacttor'tc Here let me emphasizea point which is often insufficiently brought which follows from it rs ob out in psycho-analyticalliterature, namely, that we have no neasonto concentrateit on himselfu assumethat thesephallic impulsesare naturally sadisticand that therefore this processis doublv adt a it is inadmissible,in the absenceof specificevidence in eachcase, to equate

l I(arenHornev 249 s left behind a residue of anxietl'. 'male' with 'sadistic', and on similar lines 'female' with 'masochistic,.If ral pornt-the specific fate of the the admixture of destnrctive impulses is really considerable,the mother's rr such factor.The anatomicaldif- genital must, according to the talion principle, become an object of direct rlly different situation in girls and anxiety. Thus, if it is first made distasteful to him by its associationwith their anxiety and the diversity of wounded self-regard,it will by a seconduryprocess (by way of frustration- : frrst of all thechildren's real situa- anger) becomean object of castration-anxiety.And probably this is very generally reinforced when I' The girl's nature as biologicaUr the boy observestraces of menstruation. ive, to take into herself;nshe feels Very often this latter anxiety in its tum leavesa lasting mark on the : her father's penis and this makes man's attitude to women, as we leam from the examplesalready given at r direct anxiety: she dreads that rf random from very different periods and races.But I do not think that it her genitalwould be destroyed.:. occurs regularly in all men in any considerabledegree, and certainly it is not a distinctiaecharacteristic of the man's relation irutinctively iudges that his pens to the other sex.Anxiety al and reactswith the dread of hs of this sort strongly resembles,mutatis mutandis, anxiety which we meet Jerided. Thus he experiencesanx- with in women. When in analysiswe find it occurring in any noteworthy t quarterfrom the girl's: his ongr- intensity, the subject is invariably a man whose whole attitude towards nxiety at all, but a reaction to the women has a markedly neurotic twist. On the other hand I think that the anxiety connectedwith his self- derstandinglet me emphasizethat respectleaves more or less distinct tracesin every man and gives to his purely instinctivelyon a basisot general attitude to women a particular stamp which either does not exist in women's attitude to men or; if ianic needs;in other words, I hold it does, is acquired secondarily.In other r iJ the girl had never seen her words, it is no integral part of their feminine nature. enital, and neither had any sort ot We can only grasp the generalsignificance of this male attitude if we cf thesegenitalia. study more closely the development of the boy's infantile anxiety, his oi the boy, he is affectedin anoth- efforts to overcomeit and the ways in which it manifestsitself. ration at the hands of his mothe: According to my experiencethe dread of being reiectedand derided is her father.A blow is struck at the a typical ingredient in the analysisof every man, no matter what his men- e grrl has a certain consolationn tality or the structure of his neurosis.The analytic situation and the con- :alintegrity; whereas the boy is hr: stant reserveof the wom.rn analystbring out this anxiety and sensitiveness gerutalinadequacy, which has pre more clearly than they appear in ordinary life, which gives men plenty of sires from the beginning. If we opportunity to escapefrom these feqlings either by avoiding situations calculated 'or violent anger is the foiling o: to evoke them or by a processof overcompensation.The specif- ital importance,it follows that the ic basisof this attitude is hard to detect becausein analysisit is generally rouse a twofold fury in him: first concealedby a feminineorientation, for the most part unconscious.ro upon itself and, secondly,througl To judge by my own experience,this latter orientation is no lesscom- mon, though (for ;ard.At the same time old resent- reasonswhich I will glve) lessblatant, than the mascu- ronsis probably also made to flare line attitude in women. I do not propose to discuss its various sources rmpulsesto penetratemerge with here;I will only say that I conjecturethat the early wound to his self-regard rs take on a sadistictinge. is probably one of the factorsliable to disgust the boy with his male role. rch is often insufficiently brought His typical reaction to that wound and to the dread of his mother nely, that we have no reason tc which follows from it is obviously to withdraw his libido from her and to aturally sadisticand that therefore concentrateit on himself and his genital. From the economicpoint of view frc evidencein eachcase, to equate this processis doubly advantageous:it enableshim to escapefrom the dis- 250 TheDrnd of Woman

tressing or anxiety-fraught situation which has developed between him- most beautiful and mc self and his mothet and it restoreshis masculineself-respect by reactiveh' ture of this narcisst-st strengtheninghis phallic narcissism.The female genital no longer exists thosemen who, whrie for him: the 'undiscovered' vagina is a denied vagina. This stage of his a woman who takesth, developmentis fully identicalwith Freud's'phallic phase'. gratitudeto her if she Accordingly we must understand the enquiring attitude which domi- Another wav of a nates this phaseand the specificnature of the boy's enquiries as express- adoptingthe attitudeI ing a retreatfrom the objectand a narcissisticallytinged anxiety which fol- Iove-obiect.tsIf a man ( lows upon this. his superior-mav rt n His first reaction,then, is in the direction of a heightenedphallic nar- in accordancewith thi cissism.The result is that to the wish to bea womnn,which younger boys prostituteor the h'otrtr utter without embarrassment,he now reactspartly with renewed anxietv demandsin the s€\ua lest he should not be taken seriously and partly with castration-anxietv. the superior.zo Once we realize that masculinecastration-anxiety is very largely the ego's This brings us lo , responseto the wish to be a woman, we shall not altogethershare Freud's nous in its culruralcc conviction that bisexuality manifestsitself more clearly in the fernalethan the woman. I thrnk tha in the male.tzWe shall prefer to leave it an open question. is baseduPon a defrn: A featureof the phallic phasewhich Freud emphasizesshows up with dency rooted in the I specialclearness the narcissisticscar left by the little boy's relation with his facts,as might be er; mother: 'He behavesas if he had a dim idea that this member might be and obstinately marntarta should be larger'.rsWe must amptily the observationby saying that this creaturesand, assuch behaviourbegins, indeed, in the'phallic phase',but doesnot ceasewith it; work of the masculrne on the contrary, it is disptayed naively throughout boyhood and persists tify such an attitudeb later as a deeply hidden anxiety about the size of the subject'spenis or his really do correspond potency,or else as a lessconcealed pride about them. type of woman has :'. Now one of the exigenciesof the biological differencesbetween the part of men.The imPc sexesis this: that the man is actually obliged to go on proving his man- lessercalibre, from A hood to the woman. There is no analogousnecessity for her: even if she is amount of energv anr frigid, she can engagein sexualintercourse and conceiveand bear a child. the masculinePrnclF She performs her part by merely being,without any doing-a fact which cariousself-resPec: of has always filled men with admiration and resentment.The man on the to choosea feminrneI other hand has to do somethingin order to fuUil himself. The ideal of 'effi- and by so doing to e ciency'is a typical masculineideal. women. This is probably the fundamental neasonwhy, when we analyse women who dread their masculine tendencies,we always find that they unconsciouslyregard ambition and achievementas attributesof the male, Notes in spite of the great enlargementof women's sphereof activity in real life. t SeeClaude Daly's ac(.un ln sexuallife itself we seehow the simple craving of love which drives (1927113:14*98. men to women is very often overshadowedby their overwhelming inner 2 Han$ Sachsexplarns the compulsion to prove their manhood again and again to themselvesand ln this, I think, he is nght I ts others.Aman of this type in its more extremeform has thereforeone inter- since his exPlanation 'rrr namely, the super+go 3 est only: to conquer.His aim is to have 'possessed'many women, and the Verlag,19241\ KarenHorney 25r rich has developedbetween him- most beautiful and most sought-afterwomen. We find a remarkablemix- raruline self-respectby reactivelv ture of this narcissistic overcompensationand of surviving anxiety in re femaiegenital no longer exists thosemen who, while wanting to make conquests,are very indignant with denied vagina. This stage of his a woman who takestheir intentions too seriously,or who cherisha lifelong rd's'phallic phase'. gratitude to her if she spanesthem any further proof of their manhood. re enquiring attitude which domi- Another way of averting the sorenessof the narcissisticscar is by of the boy's enquiriesas express- adopting the attitude describedby Freud as the propensity to debasethe srsticallytinged anxiety which fol- love-object.tsIf a man doesnot desireany woman who is his equalor even his superior-may it not be that he is protecting his threatenedself-regard rtion of a heightenedphallic nar- in accordancewith that most useful principle of 'sour grapes'?From the fu a woman,which younger boys prostitute or the woman of easy virtue one need fear no reiection,and no eacbspartly with renewed anxiety demands in the sexual,ethical or intellectual sphere:one can feel oneself nd partly with castration-anxiety. the superior.zo n-anxiety is very largelythe ego's This brings us to a third way, the most important and the most omi- shallnot altogethershare Freud's nous in its cultural consequences:that of diminishing the self-respectof elf more clearly in the female than the woman. I think that I have shown that men's disparagementof women an open question. is basedupon a definite psychic trend towards disparaging them-a ten- Freudemphasizes shows up with dency rooted in the man's psychic reactions to certain given biological bv the little boy's relationwith his facts, as might be expected of a mental attitude so widespread and so iea that this membermight be and obstinately maintained. The view that women aneinfantile and emotional re observationby saying that thrs creaturesand, as such, incapableof responsibilityand independenceis the phase',but doesnot ceasewith it; work of the masculinetendency to lower their self-respect.When men jus- tfuoughout boyhood and persists tify such an attitude by pointing out that a very large number of women re size of the subject'spenis or his really do correspond to this description, we must consider whether this gabout them. type of woman has not been cultivated by t systematicselection on the riologicaldifferences between the part of men. The important point is not that individual minds of greateror bliged to go on proving his man- lessercalibre, from Aristotle to Moebius, have expended an astonishing ,us necessityfor her: even if she is amount of energy and intellectual capacity in proving the superiority of rse and conceiveand bear a child. the masculine principle. What really counts is the fact that the ever-pre- without any doing-a fact which cariousself-respect of the 'averagem.an'causes him over and over again and resentrnent.The man on the to choosea feminine type which is infantile, non-maternaland hysterical, to fuUil himself. The ideal of 'effi- and by so doing to exposeeach new teneration to the influence of such women. neasonwhy, when we analyse lencies, we always find that they evementas attributesof the male, Notes ren'ssphere of activity in real life. t SeeClaude Daly's account in his article,'Hindumythologieund Kastrationskomplex',Inngo mple cravingof love which drives (re27\13:145-98. *'ed by their overwhelming inner 2 Hans Sachsexplains the impulseto artisticcreation as the searchfor companionsin guilt. ;arn and again to themselvesand In this, I think, he is right, but he doesnot seemto me to go deeply enough into the question, nemeform has thereforeone inter- sincehis explanationis one-sidedand takesinto accountonly part of the whole personality, namefy,the super-ego.(Gemeinsame Tagtriiunre [Vienna: lnternationaler Psychoanalytischer possessed'**y women, and the Verlag, 19241) 252 The Dreadof Woman

The Denial of the Veg 3 Cf. Claude Daly, 'Der Menstruationscomplex',lmago (1928)14and Winterstein: 'Die Pubertdtsritender Miidchen und ihre Spurenim Mlrchen', lmago(1928)14. t a (1918a),'The Tabooof Virginity', SE 11:193-208. s I well rcmemberhow surprised I was myself the first time I heard the above ideasassert- ed-by a man-in the shape of a universal proposition, The speakerwas Groddeck,whc: obviously felt that he was stating somethingquite self-evidentwhen he remarkedin conver- sation:'Of coursemen ar€afraid of women.' In his writings Groddeckhas repeatedly empha- lnternatrcnal sized this fear. 6 SigmundFreud (7927e),'Fetishism', SE 2l:149-57. 7 The experimentswere conductedby Frl. Dr. Hartung at a children'sclinic in Dresden, In thepresent article, u'ht 8 'Beihtge Fefix Boehm, zur Psychologieder Homosexualitet',Internationale Zeitschrift fur ming up Freud'searlv ',n Psychwnalysc,11 (1925);Melanie Klein, 'Early Stagesof the Oedipus Conflict', above, 'The Importance of Symbol-Formationin the Development of the Ego', in her l-oae,Guilt nna to the thesisof perusent Reparotionnnd Other Work (New York: Macmillan, 1975),219-32, and 'Infantile Anxietr primacyof a plullic sr-xt/a SituationsReflected in a Work of Art and in the CreativeImpulse', Loue,Guilt nnd Reparation psychology, 210-8. lf Freud'suiru,s ,ei:, e Bergmann, Muttergeistund Erkenntnisgeist, r0Sigmund Freud (l92kl,'The Infantile Genital Organization',SE 19:141-5. Horneyargues, the .felieu ll SigmundFreud (1931b),'Female Sexuality', SE 2l:281. es'wouldbe imperatnv tc t2 Cf. the work of Melanie Klein, quoted above,to which I think insufficient attention has daxlopmentof female *. beenpaid. women;the wish to haze: t3 This is not to be equatedwith passivity. a rooman'srelation to I{e l{ In another paper I will discussthe girl's situation more fully. 15I would refer here also to the points I raisedin a paper entitled 'The Distrust betweenthe Horneyowoses tlu ! Sexes'(1930). See , FeminineSexuality (London: Routledge, l96n,107-18. girlsaged fron 3 to 5 'ex 16Cf. Felix Boehm,'The Femininity-Complexin Men',International lournol ol Psycho-Anahlsrs commonin boyso.f the sa' l1(1930):444-69. asa whole)and posttsthe 17 (1931b),'Female SigmundFreud Sexuality',5E2722343. tlut woulddisaVpeartt ti r8 Sigmund Freud (1923e)'The Infantile Genital Organization: an Interpolation into the Tharry of Sexuality',SE 19:141-5. ainus regardingero t otenl reSigmund Freud (lgl?/l'On the UniversalTendency to Debasementin the Sphereof Love neousaaginal Sensalt?nt SEl1:179-90. arguestlnt clitoralma:ti 20 nli. does not detract frcm the importanceof the other forceswhich drive men to prosti- 'normality"she alsor{o tutes and which have been derribed by Sigmund Freud in his 'Contributions to the Psychology of Love', SE 11, and by Felix Boehm in his 'Beitrdge zur Psychologieder existenceof a aaginal*x'" Homosexualitat',Internationole Zeitschrift fiir Psychanalyse,6(1920)and 8(1922). aaginalanxiety.

The fundamentalconcl cific characterof femr.r that in little girls the ea as in boys, both in resp one genital organ,the p ered) and also in respec the firsi love-object).S€