Penis envy refers to the envy the female feels toward the male because the male possesses a penis; this is accompanied by a sense of loss because the female does not have a penis.

Penis e nvy is a Freudian term describing the disappointment of girls when they discover they do not have a male appendage and resulting in the limitations of women's superego development. Horney countered the sexist concept by suggesting womb envy for men.

According to Freud, the girl's phallic stage is focused on the absence of a penis and the desire to have one , thus the emergence of the term penis envy which is used to describe girls' supposed desire to have a penis. The girl decides that the mother is responsible for this lack, so she begins to hate her mother and desire her father (who could provide her with a penis). Just as with boys, girls resolve the conflict between their desires and socially-accepted behavior by identifying with the same-sex parent and adopting their values.

Related Articles

Electra complex at psychology-glossary.com■■■■■■■
Electra complex In Freudian thinking, a girl's attachment to her fathernamed after the mythical Electra . . . Read More
Gender stability at psychology-glossary.com■■■■■
Gender stability refers to the stage of gender identity in which the child recognizes that gender is . . . Read More
Initiative vs. guilty at psychology-glossary.com■■■■■
Initiative vs. guilty: In the psychology context, "Initiative vs. Guilt" is the third stage of Erik Erikson's . . . Read More
Rett's Disorder at psychology-glossary.com■■■■
Rett's Disorder also called Rett Syndrome refers to a pervasive developmental disorder, occurring only . . . Read More
Melanie Klein (1882 - 1960) at psychology-glossary.com■■■■
Melanie Klein (1882 1960) : Melanie Klein refers to an early child analyst whose theory emphasized the . . . Read More
Superego at psychology-glossary.com■■■■
Superego in Freudian theory refers to the aspect of the personality representing the internalization . . . Read More
Psychic determinism at psychology-glossary.com■■■■
Psychic determinism refers to a major assumption of Freudian Theory that holds that everything one does . . . Read More
Ego Psychology at psychology-glossary.com■■■■
Ego psychology is defined as Psychoanalytic theory that emphasizes the role of the ego in development . . . Read More
Sexual response at psychology-glossary.com■■■■
Sexual response refer to the series of physiological and psychological changes that occur in the body . . . Read More
Orgasmic platform at psychology-glossary.com■■■■
Orgasmic platform refers to the thickening of the walls of the lower third of the vaginaIn the psychology . . . Read More