Gender Development and Transgender Expressions through Loewald’s Eyes

Abstract

Relational theorists have long recognized Hans Loewald as an important ancestor whose insights continue to yield value to current psychoanalytic issues. This paper locates Loewald in the historical context of psychoanalysis with particular attention to the Relational school and goes further in finding his predictive theorizing in the context of gender studies and gender transition. In detail, I discuss two core theoretical Loewaldian insights—ego and temporality—and apply them to both gender and sexuality, using clinical vignettes to highlight their value in practice.

Keywords:

• ego formation
• gender
• relational psychoanalysis
• temporality
• transgender

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Robin Young

Robin Young, PhD, is a psychoanalyst and psychoanalytic psychotherapist in New York City. She has been in practice for more than 40 years. She is a senior member, on faculty and training analyst and supervisor at the National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis; adjunct faculty at New York University; faculty at the Mitchell Center and supervisor at the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy. She has done research on the psychoanalytic theories of female development and published papers in various professional journals on various topics in psychoanalysis. She is the founder of an International Loewald Reading Group.