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Thompson asserts that male analysts including Freud were hampered in understanding female psychology because one sex has no adequate means of identifying with the experiences of the other. She theorizes that actual envy of the penis as such is not as important in the psychology of women as their envy of the position of privilege and alleged superiority enjoyed by the male in our society. This position is symbolized by the possession of a penis.
Cultural attitudes, especially of the Victorian era, placed a premium on male sexuality and permitted the man to express his sexual needs while erroneously supposing that female sexual needs were practically nonexistent. To have sexual urges was supposed to be not feminine. Childbearing as an aspect of woman's sexual life has diminished in importance in many situations. The cultural attitude of the male's undervaluation of female sexuality has a negative effect on the female's self-esteem. There is also a derogation of the female genitalia, not in terms of comparison with the penis but rather an undervaluation of the female organs arrived at by cultural measurements. Lack of sphincter control, uncleanliness and odor, which may be associated with the female genitalia are contrary to cultural values. With these deprecatory cultural attitudes in the background of women's lives, it is to be expected that there must be important points at which difficulties in interpersonal relations are expressed.