Desiring Castration: A Reformulation of Castration Theory Illustrated with a Transgender Case

ABSTRACT

This article reviews Freud’s theory of castration, as well as critiques of the theory. I then offer my own elaboration of castration theory, proposing that castration fantasies are universal and refer to a sense of incompleteness—about the body as well as psychic attributes—in both males and females. Such fantasies, I argue, deal with the gap between what one is and what one would like to be and are frequently expressed in envy toward perceived privileges belonging to persons of the opposite sex, same sex, and different generation. Furthermore, these fantasies are intimately tied to object relations. A case of a transgender male who desired castration is presented to illustrate this expanded theory and its usefulness.

Notes

¹ Melanie Klein (1937) attributed the significance of castration fears to the boy’s worry that he would lose the capacity of making reparation to the mother.

² An estimated 135 million of the world’s girls and women have undergone genital mutilation, and two million girls a year are at risk of mutilation—approximately 6,000 a day (http://womensissues.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amnesty.org%2Failib%2Fintcam%2Ffemgen%2Ffgm1.htm).

³ I do not mean to suggest that these are simply feminine attributes; rather they are stereotypes and, as such, they may be common but are not required or contingent.

⁴ Anna chose the name she wished me to call her. She read this article and generously gave full permission to have it published.

⁵ Even though the patient initially presented as an androgynous male, she has asked me to use only the feminine pronoun when referring to her.

⁶ Eight years later, Anna added that she was consciously contemplating whether to leave the door opened to allow others to hear her story, a wish that I have ironically fulfilled in the writing of this article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Danielle Knafo

Danielle Knafo, Ph.D., is a professor in the clinical psychology doctoral program at Long Island University, CW Post Campus. She is a faculty member and supervisor at NYU Postdoctoral Program for Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis. She maintains a private practice in Manhattan and Great Neck, New York.