A Psychoanalytic Approach to Sexual Difference

A Psychoanalytic Approach to Sexual Difference explores the concepts of sex and gender through a psychoanalytic lens, emphasizing the transformations of spatiality, body, and essentiality and normativity. It analyzes Freud's and Lacan's work on feminine sexuality, Winnicott's notion of the transitional object, and theories by Judith Butler and Monique Wittig. The author proposes a subjective topology methodology and highlights the need to reformulate sex, gender, and sexual identities in psychoanalytic theories and practice.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 94 pages
Publication date: 12 December 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

A Psychoanalytic Approach to Sexual Difference delves into the intricate concepts of sex and gender, unveiling the profound transformations that shape sexual difference. In this comprehensive exploration, Jennifer Yusin presents a psychoanalytic study that engages with clinical cases, philosophical perspectives on sex and gender, and psychoanalytic writings on sexual difference. Through her deft analysis, Yusin unravels the complexities of Freud's and Lacan's work on feminine sexuality, explores Winnicott's notion of the transitional object, and examines the theories of sexuality and gender developed by Judith Butler and Monique Wittig, among others.

Beginning with the question of how the absence of an essential definition of sexual difference impacts subjectivity, Yusin emphasizes the psychoanalytic experience and its profound effects on how a subject perceives the distinction between being a body and having a body. Building upon Lacan's discovery of the Borromean knot structure of the unconscious and the contributions of psychoanalyst Jean-Gérard Bursztein, Yusin further develops subjective topology as a methodology. She also introduces and demonstrates how sexual difference is intricately linked to transformations of sex and body. By highlighting these connections, Yusin underscores the need for a reimagining of sex, gender, and sexual identities within psychoanalytic theories and practice. Moreover, she addresses the crucial importance of creating a new lexicon that enables analysts to discuss sexual difference in ways that avoid perpetuating essentialism or normativity.

A Psychoanalytic Approach to Sexual Difference is a vital resource for clinicians in psychoanalysis, mental health practitioners in the trans field, academics engaged in gender theory, queer and trans studies, and feminist philosophies. It offers a rich and nuanced understanding of the complexities of sexual difference, shedding light on the transformative power of psychoanalysis in shaping our understanding of gender and sexuality.

Weight: 176g
Dimension: 155 x 234 x 9 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032431659