Against women. On becoming male in a case of sexual
perversion
This essay argues that in order to make a proper analysis of how gender
identity is constructed, it is necessary to go beyond a purely organistic perspective,
and pursue a line of enquiry which can produce a definition of gender
in predominantly psychological terms. A theoretical approach is outlined
which sees male identity as closely related to female identity, beginning with
the primary symbiotic relationship with the mother. If this relationship fails
to develop properly, it is impossible for a healthy male identity to be constructed,
and the relationship can actually produce behaviour which is damaging
to female figures in the vicinity. To illustrate the way in which these
problems unfold, a case of sexual perversion is described which maps out the
progress of this difficult relationship with the female element, and the consequences
that this has in the construction of gender identity. A recognition of
an original dependence on the female, without which there would have been
no psychic life, is the keystone for a healthy male gender identity.