Psychology Research: Psychoanalysis and Gender Inequality

This psychology research paper critically analyzes the thesis that psychoanalysis was a product of gender inequality, stemming from Freud's observations and the social norms of his time. The paper explores how Freud linked psychoanalysis to feminism and the impact of societal constraints on women's roles and expressions. It delves into the influence of gender inequality on the development of psychoanalytic theory, emphasizing family dynamics and the patriarchal discourse. The essay discusses how gender differences in childhood experiences contributed to sexual inequality and shaped the unconscious mind. The paper concludes by examining how social norms informed psychoanalytic treatments and the decline in the theory's significance in the modern era due to reduced gender discrimination. The research paper also explains the impact of Freud's theories on cognitive abilities and the development of thought processes, highlighting the influence of cultural norms and values.

Running head: PSYCHOLOGY RESEARCH PAPER
Psychology Research Report

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Psychoanalysis can be defined as a set of theories and therapy techniques that is
concnered with the study of the unconscious mind of an individual. This style of therapy can be
used to treat the psychological issues of an individual. Psychoanalysis was founded by an
eminent neurologist of Austria named Sigmund Freud in the early 1900s. According to the
concept of Psychoanalysis, the ‘ID’ is the personality component that comprises energy to satisfy
basic desires and needs. The ‘Ego’ is related to reality that creates balaence between pleasure and
pain. Finally, the ‘Super Ego’ is the concept related to morality that enables controlling once
impulses. .According to psychoanalytic theory, these thoughts, memories and desires are the
origins of many mental issues. Psychoanalytic therapy helps an individual to gain insight and
awareness to the unconscious forces that contribute to their mental illness. In this report, a
critical analysis of the thesis statement ‘Psychoanalysis was a product of gender inequality.
Specifically,psychoanalysis was conceived from Freud’s observations of male dominance,
and social norms that dictated a woman’s role of servatute during that time'. This report
will critically analyze how Freud had linked Psychoanalysis to feminism.
Freud (1856-1939) gave the idea about his revolutionary theory on psychoanalysis in the
late 19th century and he played a role in emphasizing the importance of the unconscious mind and
its role in affecting behavior patterns and mental health. He paid attention to the unconscious
mind after establishingthe connection with social issues of the time. For example, the
unconscious feelings of guilt was ignored. If a woman strayed from the social norms of the time,
she would be discriminated against. For example, if a woman had feelings for another man, she
would have to repress these feelings – which causes guilt. These unconscious feelings of guilt
were ignored in that time. Although intrapsychic conflict also played a role in emotional
disturbance, however such aspect was marginalized in the 1900s (Mitchell & Black,

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2016).Women were oppressed due to the conservative mentality of society. Compared to today,
society during Freurd’s time was less equal for women. Therefore, because a woman’s role was
more restricted, and they were more likely not restrict themselves to acceptable gender roles
(Butler, 2012).So a woman would have to express themselves in socially acceptable ways to
cope with the repression.
The development of psychoanalytic theory was also influenced by gender inequality
issues in the 1900s. Freud emphasized gender differences in personality development by stating
that family dynamics have an impact on individuals at a subconscious level, and this contributes
to the development of internal gender identities (Freeman, 2008). Hence, the psychoanalytic
ideas of that time gave importance to the role of the father in childhood development. This
concept can be regarded as a product of the culture at that time because of the existence of
patriarchal society. Back in the 1900s, the symbolic power of the father was high. From this
perspective, it can be said that psychoanalysis is a patriarchal discourse as it regarded father as
the figure of authority (Diamond, 2017). In terms of cultural factors, the traditional family
structure of the past also influenced the psychoanalytic concepts (Smith, 2017). The difference in
the experiences of a boy and a girl in a family was the reason for the origin of sexual inequality
(Bell, 2018). In those times, boys were compelled to stay away from their mothers and stay close
to their father in order to identify social powers of the patriarchic society, girls were allowed to
stay with their mother to develop a symbiotic sense of self in relation to their mother. The above-
mentioned experiences of childhood deeply imposed an impact on the unconscious mind of both
the male and female genders. According to the researcher, due to detachment from the mother
during childhood, men were better prepared to deal with the world and public life (Carter, 2014).

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From the above discussion, it can be clearly understood that psychoanalysis had
originated due to gender inequality and conservative social norm followed in the past era. Due to
the oppression of the female gender, the unconscious mind of women tends to gain superiority by
imitating the male gender. Men were kept away from their mother so that they can develop
masculine behavior and deal with the world. However, less attention was paid to their inner
psychological development. Expression of emotion was considered to bean inferior and feminine
behavior. Hence at that point of time, psychoanalysis was a necessary factor in order to help
women deal with patriarchic oppression. However, in today’s era of modernization, the
percentage of discrimination between male and female children has reduced considerably.
Women are given equal priorities as men. Hence, psychoanalysis has lost its significance overthe
time.
The discussion presented in the essay proves that social norms and culture of the
nineteenth century led to the development of psychoanalystic theory. However, it also brings
forward the question that ‘How does social norms inform psychoanalytic treatments?’. It
informed psychoanalytic treatment because:
- Because Freud thought that neuroses was the result of repressed guilt, therrapy was
focused on resolving this guilt
- For females, this was in the form of their desire be a male
o These therapy techniques were a result of the ideals of the time, because they
saw a woman as an inferior ‘object’.
Hence, repressed guilt and gender inequality became a reason for the formation of
psychoanalysis theory. Due to the presence of a patriarchal society and the dominance of the

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father in the family, Freud could hypothesize that men have a stronger conscience and sense of
social values. Seeing social norms and differences in the role of male and females in the
nineteenth century, Freud could give the concept that cognitive abilities in children develop
through four different stages (sensorimotor, preoperation, concrete operational and formal
operational) characterized by differences in thought processing. They build upon knowledge and
experience in each stages and proceeds through the next stage of development (Freud, 2018).
This knowledge is shaped by cultural norms and values of the society.

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Reference List
Bell, L.C., (2018). Psychoanalytic theories of gender. Gender, Sex, and Sexualities:
Psychological Perspectives, p.195.
Butler, J. (2012). Rethinking Sexual Difference and Kinship in Juliet Mitchell’s Psychoanalysis
and Feminism. differences, 23(2), 1-19, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1215/10407391-1629794
Carter, M. J. (2014). Gender socialization and identity theory. Social Sciences, 3(2), 242-263,
doi:10.3390/socsci3020242
Diamond, M. J. (2017). Recovering the father in mind and flesh: history, triadic functioning, and
developmental implications. The Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 86(2), 297-33, Retrived
from: file:///C:/Users/User00/Downloads/DiamondMJ2017-RecoveringFatherPsaQ.pdf
Freeman, T., 2008. Psychoanalytic concepts of fatherhood: Patriarchal paradoxes and the
presence of an absent authority. Studies in Gender and Sexuality, 9(2), pp.113-139, Doi:
https://doi.org/10.1080/15240650801935156
Freud, A., 2018. Normality and pathology in childhood: Assessments of development. Routledge.
Mitchell, S. A., & Black, M. J. (2016). Freud and beyond: A history of modern psychoanalytic
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Smith, P. K. (Ed.). (2017). The psychology of grandparenthood: An international perspective.
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