Discussion of Robert J. Stoller's Article, Healthy Parental Influences on the Earliest Development of Masculinity in Baby Boys

Dr. Stoller's interesting paper offers many potential fields for further exploration and discussion. Omitting from consideration, as does Dr. Stoller, the significance of biological factors in fostering final gender identity in both sexes, I would like to respond tentatively to his final question regarding the oedipal situation. His use of the term “situation” is significant, suggesting the possibility that the situation normally creates the oedipal conflict rather than the reverse.

I would agree that gender identity, as manifested in our culture, regardless of the biological factors involved, is essentially the result of a learning experience. As Dr. Stoller points out, parents and others normally respond to the male or female child according to its gender and subtly or overtly encourage gender-appropriate behavior, the latter defined by the culture. This, among other influences, promotes identification with the parent of the same sex. Unless his identification with the father is optimally encouraged, the male child has a more difficult task than the female child. The first intense relationship for both sexes is with the mother. As the male child becomes aware of his gender, and what is positively responded to in that role, he can no longer identify primarily with his mother, as he is often inclined to do, but must shift to identification

with his father. It is not surprising that if the mother does not encourage this shift, does not indicate her appreciation of his struggle for an appropriate gender identity, and/or if he does not have an adequate and available father figure with whom to identify, he will continue to follow in the path of his original identification. This struggle can often be observed in the relatively normal toddler.

The oral and anal stages of normal development can be explained in part on the basis of neuromuscular and neurosensory developments. So far there has not been conclusive evidence that the oedipal period has a similar, parallel biol