Use of Psychoanalysis in Feminist Theory - Literature review Example

Use of Psychoanalysis in Feminist Theory USE OF PSYCHOANALYSIS IN FEMINIST THEORY Introduction Psychoanalysis views humans as possessing aggressive and sexual drives, making their behavior deterministic and, thus, not governed by free will. Under psychoanalysis, theorists understand human behavior to be governed by unconscious and irrational forces, as well as biological and instinctive drives (Mitchell, 2011: p15). Feminist theorists are among the major contemporary social theorists to use psychoanalysis to analyze the status of men and women in society. Feminist theorists apply psychoanalysis to explain relations between females and males through reformulation of Freud’s theories of the unconscious and subconscious, as well as childhood development and human emotions. It is their belief that conscious calculations are insufficient explanations for patriarchal production and reproduction, relying on Freud’s psychoanalytic concept that gender as a phenomenon is not biologically determined (Mitchell, 2011: p17). Thus, feminist theorists like Nancy Chodrow, Ellyn Kaschak, and Erich Fromm build, on the psychoanalytic theory, to emphasize the importance of unconscious processes of the mind and issues of child development to explain human behavior. This paper will seek to discuss how feminist theorists have used psychoanalysis to explain human social, political, and economic behavior. Social Behavior The feminist theorist Nancy Chodrow developed a version of psychoanalytical theory that differed from the original approach by Sigmund Freud, focusing on the child’s early development with their mothers to explain social behavior in humans (Garner et al, 2012: p34). The girl child keeps a close association with her mother and becomes more feminine, which shares similar pessimism to the psychoanalytic concept concerning equality of gender. Feminist theory, however, on top of Psychoanalytic emphasis on perception of anatomical differences between females and males, out its belief that the child’s early experiences with his/her mother has a profound impact on socially constructed gender roles. Chodrow (2009: p43) goes on to propose that the pre-oedipal period, which predominates in the child’s early life is more significant than the latter Oedipus complex onset period. In this case, the social development for females and males is different; females mother all children. The woman is most involved in nurturing the child compared to the man, which leaves a deeply imprinted bond between mothers and children early in childhood. The effect, however, has different social implications for female and male children. Although the life of an infant is mother-centered, the mother-son relationship falls short of being as close as the mother-daughter relationships because the daughter is of the same sex as the mother (Chodorow, 2009: p43). While the infants are not aware of their differences sexually, the mother is. As soon as the child begins to gain awareness of their self, they start to achieve a perception of gender differences, a process that is easier for female children because they already identify with their mothers and this only grows stronger as they become self-aware. Boys, however, are faced with a more difficult social task because, since they previously lived in a world centered on their mothers and only identified with their mothers, they are required to develop a separate identity to that of their mother. Male children are forced to deal with separation from their mothers to grow more masculine and develop an identity of male gender, forming separate gender roles (Benjamin, 2009: p66). This development of identity/self by boys requires that they separate from their mothers, leading to a rejection of feminine gender roles associated with their mothers. Gender similarities between female children and their mothers, as well as the differences between mothers and sons, also greatly affects the emotional closeness of boys to girls. Liebert et al (2011: p699) confirms that daughters and sons have varying levels of emotional closeness in society. When boys are forced to separate from mothers to develop a self-identity as males, there is a subsequent impact on their personalities. They show social rejection of femininity, while also developing mistrust and fear femininity in society. However, development of self-identity in girls is different, and their transition into womanhood is socially less turbulent. In addition, the continued close relationship with the mothers is replicated during their own mothering period. According to Chodrow (2009: p47), it is this effort by males to separate and distinguish themselves from their mothers, as posited in psychoanalysis, which results in social denigration of girls and women by boys and men. Political Behavior Feminist theory also uses psychoanalysis to extend human knowledge about political behavior in humans. Ellyn Kaschak borrows heavily from psychoanalysis’ use of mythology by taking the character of Antigone, Oedipus’ daughter, to replace Oedipus as used by Freud in his psychoanalytic proposals (Ror-Malone, 2011: p537). Antigone was left to take care of Oedipus after his eyes were destroyed and sacrificed her freedom and devoted her life to taking care of Oedipus. Using the same scenario as used by Freud to illuminate the personality development of women and women, Kaschak agrees with psychoanalytic theory’s application of the Oedipus legend. She, however, disagrees with how women were treated in the Oedipus complex concept. Antigone is a typically devoted daughter and woman in a patriarchal family, in which men grant them power. In this societal system and process, the woman is the man’s possession with the man born, reared, and developed to control women and grant them summary powers (Hansell, 2011: p60). On the other hand, women are born and developed to consider themselves as possessions of men. Their position is expected to be always subservient to males. Therefore, just as the Oedipus complex is considered to represent the son’s dilemma in psychoanalytic theory, so is Antigone considered as a representative of the good daughter’s ultimate fate in a patriarchal political society in psychoanalytic feminist theory (Haaken, 2008: p201). The conflicts that arise in the patriarchal society cannot be resolved by majority of women and men. This is because the society is structured and in a way, that maintains constant male autonomy and power, as well as subservience by females. Due to this fact, psychoanalytic feminist theorists contend that men treat women as their extensions, rather than autonomous and independent people. In addition, men always seek to attain power in a manner that is self-centered, which, in turn, may harm to other people, particularly women, in the form of deviant behaviors like family violence (Elliot, 2011: p32). Meyers (2011: p65), in a report into research about political violence, concludes that the reason why mostly men participate in political violence is due to having the belief that society allows them to do so as the more powerful party. Moreover, he adds that women should strive to resolve their subservience to men in power and leadership through a normal personality development course. It is clear that the continued inability to do so has allowed women in the power structure to remain as extensions of men, instead of striving to attain political independence. Failure to do so also makes women grow up believing that their concerns and ideas are not as important and believe only men, can contribute to development and crisis resolution. Belief such as this impose limitations on women’s ability to influence decisions and policies, which has a negative impact on their overall life. By denying their physicality, psychoanalytic feminist theory, posits that women attempt to portray their bodies as being invisible, which may explain the reasons why there is female voter apathy in severely patriarchal societies (Meyers, 2011: p66). Economic Behavior Finally, feminist theorists have also integrated psychoanalysis in extending knowledge about human economic behavior. Psychoanalytic concepts are particularly valuable in social theory, specifically feminist theory, in discovering the hidden reasons for irrational societal behavior, especially in socio-economic patterns. Erich Fromm contends that psychoanalytic sociology is highly compatible with feminist-materialism because they are both descendants of materialistic sciences that start from earthly needs and life, rather than from ideas (Friedman & Downey, 2008: p154). While historical materialism makes the assumption that economic interests and forces are primary in nature for society and individuals, compared to psychoanalytical focus on psychological forces and instinct, they can be synthesized successfully. Psychoanalytic theory can enhance studies into how economic structure shapes and impacts the instincts of society and individuals. Psychoanalysis is emphatic on the family’s primacy in development of humans and feminist theorists like Fromm have given this a historical materialist angle. Because the family acts as the medium for social class structure propagation to children, a feminist analysis of the family and processes of socialization could indicate how socio-economic practices and ideologies are imposed (Friedman & Downey, 2008: p154). Integrating psychoanalysis and historical materialism, feminist theory can elucidate the intrinsically historical nature of socio-economic formations, practices, and institutions. In addition, psychoanalysis also aids in determining the manner in which economic structures and interests are transformed into ideologies in early childhood learning in boys and girls, as well as how economic behavior is influenced and shaped by these ideologies (Macdonald, 2011: p451). Bourgeois society, for example, is able to produce a structure that values thrift, discipline, and parsimoniousness among boys, while also valuing charity, sensual pleasure, and kindness for girls. In patriarchal society, as posited by psychoanalysis, the relationship between children and their father is a central tenet. Using the Oedipus complex that ascribes the importance of father-son relationships in boys’ psychological development, feminist theorists like Fromm are able show that paternal authority is integrated in the process of socialization, producing the values of bourgeois and capitalist societies. Contrasting the relations of children with their mothers and the relationship’s matriarchal values and relationships to fathers that are conditional on an individual’s success, feminist theory is able to show the conditional element of fatherly love and its rigid injection of economic values (Macdonald, 2011: p451). Conclusion Feminist theorists like Fromm, Kaschak, and Chodrow have used aspects of psychoanalysis to extend knowledge concerning social, political, and economic behavior. Chodrow, importantly, is able to draw conclusions about the social construction of gender roles using psychoanalysis, contending that the close relationships between mothers and girls propagates the already established roles for women, while the strained relationship with their sons with time causes them to take up different roles to girls and hold them in suspicion. Feminist theory also uses psychoanalysis to explain how dissimilarities in political participation between men and women is as a construct of a patriarchal society that requires daughters to be subservient to men in society, just as they would with their fathers. Finally, feminist theory also uses Oedipus complex in psychoanalysis to explain how development in early childhood affects the relationships between mothers and their children, as well as fathers and their children, to create a patriarchal society that rewards socio-economic advancement and shuns charity or welfare. References Benjamin, J. (2009). 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