Observations on the Female Negative Oedipal Phase and its Significance in the Analytic Transference

This presentation advances the hypothesis that women are considerably aided in achieving heterosexuality if their mothers are emotionally open to their strong erotic needs for closeness during the negative oedipal phase.

Two cases are presented: a neurotic woman and a borderline patient with perverse tendencies. Each of them was able to relive an emotionally significant and meaningful experience of the negative oedipal phase in the transference. Each patient experienced and fantasized complete maternal acceptance by the analyst. As a result, aspects of repression of the early mother—child relationship and early traumatic experiences which accompanied this period were lifted. Memories of childhood were now available for analytic work and analyzing

these brought about a new closeness experienced by the patient toward the early mother of childhood.

The implications of my hypothesis indicate the importance of this early erotic phase for the development of the girl. Of special significance is the mother's loving acceptance of the little girl's erotic feelings. During the positive oedipal phase, the little girl's identification with her mother, who is now experienced by her as a heterosexual woman, promotes heterosexual fulfillment in adulthood. In this paper I emphasize the special task this creates for the analyst who is working on this phase with a female patient.