Reviewing the classical postulate of a negative oedipal phase in normal development of girls, the authors point out its current desuetude among modern child analysts and question its clinical usefulness. They suggest that it reflects a male oriented conceptual bias and a misreading of clinical material.

In a careful examination of analytic case material from the Hampstead Clinic Index they propose a distinction between early and late phallic phases, describing the classical triangular characteristic as occurring only in the late phase, preceded by a preoedipal phallic narcissistic period. Without recognition of this distinction, fantasies and behavior are readily misunderstood; preoedipal rivalries and envy