ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the repudiation of femininity as evidenced in the clinical material of a male patient. In women, the bedrock is represented by penis envy, while in men it is "repudiation of femininity". Masculinity often functions on the phallic level, the signifier of something lacking (Lacan, 1958) that refers to power and narcissistic symbols. This lack, however, is obstructed by what is experienced as visible and prominent — virility and strength, penetration, certainty. Ivan used his body to illustrate the vicissitudes of the visible aspects of his Oedipus complex. The chapter shows how a male patient's conflicts involving his feminine aspects derived from difficulties in resolving the Oedipus complex. Every analysis involves a "body to body" interaction between analyst and patient in the space of the sessions and in the setting of the transference.
