Female hysteria

women have “individual constitutions” (876). Many feminists as Cixous criticize Sigmund Freud’s psychosexual development theory which revolves around the Oedipus complex because he does not accept a women sexuality independent from men and considers female sexuality a “dark continent” (Gilligan, 1984). The founder of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud explains his psychosexual…

The Yellow Wallpaper” is an accurate ,useful description of the process of a woman's descent into madness through oppression. Hysteria was the first mental disorder that was referenced…

vibrator sales are less discrete and can be easily seen on store shelves; there still appears to be a stigma attached to female sexuality that might make it more difficult to openly discuss these topics. The stigma comes from a variety of sources that include ideas of female purity, heteronormativity, and the medicalization of sexuality. Though we don’t see the diagnosis of hysteria anymore I definitely believe that this type of medicalization left a lasting impression on our attitudes…

description of the process of a woman's descent into madness through oppression. Hysteria was the first mental disorder that was referenced to women. The symptoms of hysteria at the time were considered to be lack of sex, anxiety, suffocation,and tremors. Although there were many symptoms they were not limited to this list. Society immediately decided that if women that showed anyone of these symptoms had hysteria with no real medical evidence to back it up. Because the doctors were male…

For centuries, mankind has had a propensity to utilise the biological distinctions of the sexes in order to enforce a societal distinction between the sexes, which is known as gender. Gender, as the socially imposed division of the sexes, allowed societies to delineate certain characteristics to each of the sexes, and thus assign different roles, moral codes, and, in certain societies, thoughts and emotions to them. As such, the study of gender is of profound importance to the manner in which…

There are only two female characters in the play, “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar”, Calphurnia and Portia. Both women play crucial roles that affect the story in significant ways. One being the lack of female presence, each woman is portrayed through the relationship her husband, and two the lack of reproduction which shows that women are unnecessary to the plot of the play. Calphurnia is the wife of Caesar, and she is…

In the story, The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gillman the story is told through a series of journal entries belonging to the main character. She along with her husband John, who is a physician, are on a holiday trip residing in a colonial estate that is described to be a beautiful place with marvelous gardens yet, the narrator states that the home possess an eerie aura that leaves her with an unsettling feeling that her husband claims is due to her illness., which is the reason for…

jobs to women many questions and issues are and will continue to arise. The physiological differences that exist between both genders is where most of the barriers exist. Some of those barriers are the physical abilities of females compared to males, the hygienic needs of females, and because of the differences in sexual reproductive organs coed quarters and pregnancy. Some of these “barriers” are legitimate concerns, however…

denies the individual's any right to make their own judgements. People were expected to live by a rigid moral code, to work hard and repress their emotions or opinions. Individuals differences were frowned upon. Instead of Miller portraying strong female figures, this play casts women as weak creatures whose only access to power is through dishonesty and manipulation, with little or no reputation attached to their name. Puritans colony was a man’s world; women were treated harshly in the…

In Gilman’s story, the narrator suffers from hysteria a condition often diagnosed in women during the nineteenth century. Gilman states, “…there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression-a slight hysterical tendency-what is one to do?” (Gilman 661). The hysterical tendency…