Castration anxiety
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Castration anxiety is an idea invented by Sigmund Freud in his writings on the Oedipus complex; it posits a deep-seated fear or anxiety in boys and men said to originate during the phallic stage of sexual development. It asserts that small boys, when seeing a female's genitalia, will falsely assume that the girl had her penis removed, probably as punishment for some misbehavior. The boy then becomes anxious that the same may happen to him.
Castration anxiety literally means the fear that one's testicles will be removed, but more profoundly it may symbolize the child's fear that he will, like Oedipus, lose his power (and his close relations — i.e., his mother).
In 19th century Europe, it was not unheard of for parents to threaten their misbehaving sons with castration, or to otherwise threaten their genitals, a phenomenon Freud documents several times.[1] This may help to explain Freud's reasoning regarding castration anxiety's role in human development.
[edit] References
- ^ See, for example, Sigmund Freud, 'The Dissolution of the Oedipus Complex' (1924)
[edit] See also
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