Explain Freud’s theory of women’s gender identity development.
(Hint: Freud was a “biological determinist”. According to Freud, everyone is born bisexual and sexual identities develop around the “castration complex”. Freud theorized a libido which travels from oral, anal, to genital parts of the body. In all the stages there is a sense of the “other” , the “Phallic mother, or the mother in fantasy. Desire happens in relation to the other. At the genital stage the infant enters the castration complex. The little boy thinks that his most important organ, the Phallus will be cut off if he does not give up masturbation and desiring his “Phallic mother”. So, he consolidates his male identity and his “original desire” for the Phallic mother goes to the unconscious. The little girl think that she is already castrated and a little of the phallus, the clitoris is left. She then realizes that the Phallic mother is not really the mother with Phallus, so she turns to father to give her the Phallus, who does not give it. Thus she flip flop between mother and father and ultimately settles for her “biological destiny”. Her “original desire” for the Phallus goes into the unconscious and she converts this original desire to a desire for baby from father or father substitute. She transfers her erotic zone from the clitoris to the vagina).
2. While for Freud there is no “feminine libido” for Bonaparte, there is a feminine libido called “masochism”, which means that women enjoy pleasure. This was used in the battered women’s movement who wont leave abusive relationships. Do you think that women keep adhering to abusive relationship because of some “innate libido” called “masochism” or is it a learned behavior in society and women are expected to sustain relationships?
3. According to Deutsch, women’s masochistic libido circulates and they become “mothers” and repeat it. Do you think “motherhood” is an instinctual behavior or is it learned? Give one reason to support your position.
4. According to Freud, femininity is the “lack of phallus”, according to Riviera, “femininity” is performance in order to get by in a patriarchical system. Do you think the following is a way for “women” to “perform feminine” and keep quiet despite being highly educated? Give one reason to support your view.
Make one comment on the following that you find interesting:
https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2017/11/16/564498133/struggling-for-investments-silicon-valley-women-reluctant-to-speak-out-on-harass
5. In what way is Chodorow’s theory of “masculine” and “feminine” identity different from Freud’s because she says that the way the capitalist system arranges the division of labor creates these two gender. The “feminine” gender develops as more relational, not individualistic, more attached to their primary object of desire, and less ambitious and suited to the capitalist market and for care giving and mothering (Chodorow). (Hint: According to Chodorow, the two identities are a product of women mothering and the capitalist market that requires individualistic competitive identity or masculine identity, and caring relational identity or feminine identity.
The masculine identity is brought up to be more competitive, more individualistic and much less attached to their primary desires and kinship and more suited to the competitive market.
Is Freud’s “biological” explanation or Chodorow’s sociological explanation of gender identity development more reasonable? Or do you think it is a combination of both? Give one reason to justify your answer.
6. According to Rubin, “marriage” is a transaction to form tribal alliance and woman is a commodity of this transaction. Do you think this idea of marriage has been broken by Capitalism and putting women in the labor force? Give one reason to support your answer.
https://cnm.yuja.com/V/Video?v=4290958&node=14481891&a=1655495115&autoplay=1
7. We have studied the following definition of “femininity” so far:
A) “Femininity” or “woman” is the “other” of culture ( De Beauvoir);
B) “Femininity” is a lack of phallus (Freud)
C) “Femininity” is those who have masochism (Bonaparte and Deutsch)
D) “Femininity” =motherhood (Deutsch) E) “Femininity” is performance or pretension of being powerless to get by in patriarchy (Riviera).
E) “Femininity” is constructed along the lines of a self that is interpersonal, non competitive, and will mother (Chodorow)
F) “Femininity” (according to Fraser, constructed by the US Welfare system) is client recipient of public charity and no actors in the market or possessive individuals.
Which one (or a combination) would you prefer from what you have studied so far, give one reason to support your choice.
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