Freud and Feminism

Photo: http://cheznamastenancy.blogspot.com/2010_03_01_archive.html

When one thinks of Sigmund Freud, what are some words that come to mind? The thoughts that first pop into my head are the id, ego, superego, devil, angel, subconscious, unconscious, slips of the tongue, and how could I ever forget: penis envy.

During high school, I was first introduced to Freud in my psychology class. One of my history teachers at my school characterized herself as a true feminist proclaimed her hatred for Freud. She said that penis envy was the craziest nonsense that she ever heard and only a man would come up with such a ridiculous claim.

Freud proposed that young girls realize that they do not have a penis during psychosexual development and then actually envy their male counterparts. Freud believed that young girls see the male penis as a symbol of power and these girls become rather jealous. When young girls are aware of this conflict, it leads to stages of the Electra complex, and girls are able to develop their sexual identity.

Prior to reading Suzanne Brom’s critique of Freud, I already had the notion that Freud was not a feminist or even remotely interested in the thoughts of women. However, some components of the article made me think a little differently.

The women that Freud worked with were usually hysterical women.  During the Victorian Era, women were required to remain dutiful to their husband and did not have much freedom.  The female patients that usually came to see Freud were wealthy women that lived in restrictive homes. The women that Freud worked with were usually hysterical women.  Hysterical women were individuals that were distressed because they “lost a love.”

Even though Freud’s description of hysteria seems anti-feminist, readers should appreciate the fact that Freud was willing to work with women during a time period in which women were required to live under the command of men. Brom states that most doctors did not want to treat hysterical women, and Freud wanted to study “exceptional cases” of neurosis. By treating women, it showed that he saw them as human beings and in a way accepted them. Even today, many people often judge or poke fun at individuals with mental health issues. It is not surprising that women that were described as hysterical were considered to be “degenerates” and shameful when compared to the norm in Victorian society.

Freud gave his female patients a voice and a chance to let others know how they really felt. He was open to having women speak about sexual desires, a topic women that were married during this era were not allowed to discuss.

Brom makes an interesting point about homosexuality. One father brought his daughter to see Freud, and asked the physician to “fix” her homosexual tendencies. Freud believed that fixing the child was not the best solution, but it would be better to understand how the girl began developing those feelings for her “love-object.” Freud was a step ahead in his time because he wanted to listen to patients that had sexual desires not common in that period in history. Freud was also different because unlike most physicians, he took the time to listen to the complaints of his patients. Presently, many parents still believe that they can “fix” their children if the child proclaims that they are homosexual.

Even though Freud treated female patients, it does not mean that he was a complete feminist. However, I can say that I can look at Freud a little differently and see some of the efforts he made to help women. No matter how you view Freud, he has made a major impact in the way we view humanity even today. 
-Nidhi