Feminine Sexuality and the Work of the Negative

The present paper discusses the intricate development of feminine sexuality by drawing on the ideas of André Green. The paper's main argument is that feminine sexuality is unique in being dependent on the creation of a representation of an internal empty space (as an ontological entity). This takes place through “the work of the negative” and involves an instinctual movement of “double reversal,” by which the drive directed at the object helps the subject establish their own body as a source of pleasure. The author will argue that the combination of these two processes, defined in this paper as “the work of the feminine,” is a prerequisite of the subject's capacity to structure themselves as having a sense of internal abundance, vitality, and power that is grounded in a receptive sexual position that is relevant to both sexes. The paper will conclude by presenting clinical material demonstrating how “the work of the feminine” manifests in the way the vagina is represented in feminine sexuality. As an afterthought, the paper will describe Green's unique contribution in relation to Winnicott's contribution and to the different ways in which these two authors address the manner in which the subject comes to dwell in their body.