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Femininity and the difference between the sexes

Femininity and the difference between the sexes are examined in their relationship to subjectivity and to cultural constructions, the forms of which change depending on the time and place. These constructions, which each subject must appropriate in a singular way and according to his or her own history, represent a certain necessity. They allow us to give meaning to the enigma of sex. However, they can also expose us to the risks of a subjective collapse when they become detached from their symbolic support. I will try to show, relying on my experience oriented by psychoanalysis and based on listening the subject in his articulation of the social link that these transformations are not without subjective consequences, especially when the subject does not refer other benchmarks or role models that allow to recognize his status as a sexual being and to accept their differences.

femininity; difference between the sexes; subjectivity; cultural change


Departamento de Psicologia da Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro Rua Marquês de São Vicente, 225 - Gávea, 22453-900 - Rio de Janeiro - RJ, Tel.: (55 21) 3527-1185 / 3527-1186, Fax: (55 21) 3527-1187 - Rio de Janeiro - RJ - Brazil
E-mail: psirevista@puc-rio.br