ABSTRACT
Here, I define the terms phallic and genital and discuss why this distinction is important in considering male gender identity and development. I explore male development starting from inception and birth, noting that the male infant’s vulnerability, present long before words and symbolization are possible, is fundamentally unrepresentable and nonsymbolizable. Male development during the phallic phase and beyond is discussed as well, and I note the persistence of certain aspects of phase-based intrapsychic structures throughout life, and how these may be adaptive or maladaptive depending on the individual’s ensuing psychic structure and overall mental health. The seminal issue for most men is how early, preoedipal phallic narcissism and phallic omnipotence can be integrated into an ongoing and evolving sense of masculinity.
