Joyce McDougall (1982) wrote that a stage play can be used as a metaphor for 'the psychical', so that we can speak of a 'théatre psychique'. An author's psychical theatre includes both men and woman on its stage; in other words, there are both male and female role representations.

When a man's psychical stage includes women, these may also form part of the self. In some cases there will then be a split between a male gender identity and a primary mother identification; the latter may in turn be split into a bad and a good mother.