Whereas with the male this is typically conceived of in the active form of castration, with thefemalethe primary fear would appear to be that of separation.
In his paper on the passing ofthe Oedipus complex Freud suggested that this happened in thefemale as the direct result of continued disappointment (privation), and we know that the super-ego is as much the heir of this complex in thefemale as in the male where it is the product ofthe guilt derived from the dread of castration.
A word should be said about the important factors that influence the later developmentoffemale homosexuality.