| Abstract: | Despite the cultural specificity of aspects of attachment theory (Layton, 2006
Layton , L. ( 2006 ). Racial identities, racial enactments, and normative unconscious processes . Psychoanalytic Quarterly , 75 , 237 – 269 .Taylor & Francis Online], Web of Science ®] , Google Scholar]) it remains influential. Disorganized attachment and the alien self are linked to borderline phenomena and attacks upon the body (Fonagy et al., 2002
Fonagy , P. ,
Gergely , G. ,
Jurist , E. , &
Target , M. ( 2002 ). Affect Regulation, Mentalization and the Development of the Self . New York , NY : Other Press . Google Scholar]), including sexual attacks (Straker, 2002
Straker , G. ( 2002 ). Being in two minds: The psychodynamics of paedophilia. In Australian Psychoanalytic Society annual conference, July, Melbourne, Australia . Google Scholar]). Recently (Fonagy, 2006
Fonagy , P. ( 2006 ). Psychosexuality and psychoanalysis: An overview . In: Identity, Gender and Sexuality 150 Years After Freud , ed. P. Fonagy , R. Krause , & M. Leuzinger-Bohleber . London , UK : International Psychoanalytical Association , pp. 1 – 20 . Google Scholar], 2008 ——— . ( 2008 ). A genuinely developmental theory of sexual enjoyment and its implications for psychoanalytic technique . Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association , 56 , 11 – 36 .Crossref], PubMed], Web of Science ®] , Google Scholar]; Target, 2007
Target , M. ( 2007 ). Is our sexuality our own? A developmental model of sexuality based on early affect mirroring . British Journal of Psychotherapy , 23 , 517 – 530 .Crossref] , Google Scholar]) used the concept of the alien self to explain sexuality in general. This article challenges this extension as it again ignores cultural specificity, presents psychoanalysis as the arbiter of “normal” sexuality, and entrenches heteronormativity. It also lends itself to inadvertently condoning sexual harassment, as evidenced in a case study presented by Fonagy (2008 ——— . ( 2008 ). A genuinely developmental theory of sexual enjoyment and its implications for psychoanalytic technique . Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association , 56 , 11 – 36 .Crossref], PubMed], Web of Science ®] , Google Scholar]). |
