ABSTRACT
Freud’s theories have a universal quality in that they are rooted in the reality of the human body, though their phallocentric perspective has tended to describe women as “little men.” These chapters are an attempt to study women in their integrity rather than their deficiency. They focus on the developmental milestones of childbirth and pregnancy, and the importance of internalized parental objects in female development and psychic functioning. The internal triangle of mother, father, and self influences female functioning in analysis, in group and in life. Since these theories about women were first presented, gender theory has expanded and exploded, bringing us back to Freud’s original idea of the innate bisexuality of human beings. In this broadened perspective, all sexualities which limit object choice are seen as defensive. The problem with this welcome appreciation for the complexity of gender is that heterosexuality becomes pathologized in the way that bisexuality and homosexuality have historically been perceived. Each new theory about gender builds on the blind spots of the theories that have gone before, and each is useful if it helps the analyst understand a particular patient.
