Feminine psychology, also called the psychology of women, is an approach that focuses on the social, economic and political issues confronting women throughout their lives. It emerged out of early psychoanalytic debates between Sigmund Freud and Karen Horney, whose disagreement with Freud is credited with helping establish the field as its own area of study. It is a related but distinct subject from feminist psychology.
Facts
Central QuestionHow do the social, economic and political issues that confront women throughout their lives shape women's psychology, which male-centered theory cannot describe? 1 Key DebateWhether male-derived theory such as Freud's penis envy can describe female psychology at all; Karen Horney argued it could not and recast penis envy as a wish for success and security shared by both sexes. 1 Connections
Includes
Source Karen Horney (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Psychology of women, Wikipedia
Lead section
Feminine psychology or the psychology of women is an approach that focuses on social, economic, and political issues confronting women all throughout their lives.
Karen Horney and the challenge to Freud
The original work of Karen Horney argued that male realities could not accurately describe female psychology or define their gender because they were not informed by girls' or women's experiences.
View the SourceKaren Horney (Wikipedia)
Includes: Karen Horney, Article textQuote, Includes: Karen Horney, Article text
From 1923 to 1935, Horney published thirteen major papers grounded in feminine psychology, developing the idea of secondary penis envy; she emphasized the way young girls are treated by their parents over Freud’s sole focus on the father.
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