Men and mothers : the lifelong struggle of sons and their mothers /

Men and mothers : the lifelong struggle of sons and their mothers /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:	Freud, Hendrika C.
Imprint:	London : Karnac Books, ©2013.
Description:	1 online resource (225 pages)
Language:	English
Subject:	Mothers and sons. Sons -- Psychology. Paraphilias. Mothers and sons. Paraphilias. Sons -- Psychology. Electronic books.
Format:	E-Resource Book
URL for this record:	http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/11168690

Hidden Bibliographic Details
ISBN:	9781782410454 1782410457 9781781811771 1781811776 1283853167 9781283853163 1780490763 9781780490762
Notes:	Print version record.
Summary:	Not all men vie with their fathers for the love of their mothers. In some families the mother becomes the central figure for her son - the father is excluded (or excludes himself) and does not come between mother and son. The main thesis of this book - using clinical vignettes and quotes from the work of Marcel Proust to illustrate the author's points - is that in these cases fantasies of matricide replace patricide. Men develop their male gender identity by being permitted to separate from their mother early on, but when a man does not resolve his infantile tie to his mother he risks remaining in a passive and/or dependent position towards her. Over-identification with the mother might ensue, hampering masculine development. Mothers who seek emotional support by binding their sons too closely can become seductive towards them. The child is inclined to try to satisfy the emotional needs of his mother, and he fears rejection if he asserts his independence instead of complying. A silent pact between mother and son leads to denial of differences, specifically between gender and generation. The author calls this mother-son bond, from which aggression has been banned, "the symbiotic illusion". Suppressed hatred will seek alternative routes of expression: a son might avoid all intimacy with women, or he might develop a sexual perversion. Perverse sexual scenarios then become a prerequisite in order to save potency while functioning heterosexually.

Table of Contents:

Machine generated contents note: ch. One Proust and Freud as taskmasters
ch. Two Love's illusions
ch. Three fateful goodnight kiss
ch. Four new perspective on perversions
ch. Five different adolescence
ch. Six Sadomasochism according to Proust
ch. Seven Moral and sexual masochism
ch. Eight Eroticism and cruel party games
ch. Nine Love's devious means
ch. Ten What does the son want? Conclusion.