Womb envy
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Womb envy, a term coined by Karen Horney, is the neo-Freudian feminist equivalent of penis envy. It refers to men's purported fear and jealousy of women's power to give birth and nurture life, leading males to react in other pursuits of powers; such as physical or political.[1] Horney claimed that men feel a drive for success and to make their names live on to compensate for inability to bear and nurture children. Horney claimed that men experience womb envy more powerfully than women experience penis envy because men need to disparage women more than women need to disparage men.
This may be a psychological factor in altruistic motivations in men in manifesting evolutionary psychological inborn genetic tendencies towards Altruism.[citation needed] Most likely Womb envy is a psychosocial tendency just as penis envy is, rather than an inherent quality. Feelings leading to it may be a manifestation of the feminine side. However, many critics purport that it is just a "strike back" against Freudian ideas by Karen Horney.
[edit] References
- ^ Horney, Karen (1967). Feminine Psychology. NY Norton.
[edit] See also
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