Carolyn Ellman began this scientific meeting by crediting Karen Horney for her significant contributions to women and their “essential femininity.” By reflecting on her own 30 years of research, Ellman turned to her initial hypothesis regarding femininity and menstruation, both of which were once thought to stir up women's depression and anger about their castrated state of being, triggering clinical depression about their “defectiveness.” At that time, Ellman postulated that women, in their attempts to deny such feelings, would wish to be more like a man to cover up their “defects.” Today, in thinking of these earlier ideas, Ellman considers a different