It is the (perceived) threat of castration (by the father) which makes the male child suppress his desire for the mother till such time when he can find himself a female mate. Females thus become objects for exchange among men, and the family system is created. When the male child in the post-oedipal stage begins entry into the symbolic order, the process is ensured by a threat of castration ("lack" of the phallus). For a good description, read "Key Concepts in Cinema Studies" by Susan Hayward (Routledge, London). On Sat, 18 Apr 1998, Ken Mogg wrote: > Please, could someone succinctly - yet convincingly - remind me just why > Lacan in his psychoanalytical theory emphasised the need for a male > person to be 'castrated'? (You may use terms like Imaginary and > Symbolic, of course, but do try to subordinate jargon to > intelligibility. Thank you!) > > - Ken Mogg (Ed., 'The MacGuffin'). > > > --- from list [log in to unmask] --- > ---- To sign off SCREEN-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF SCREEN-L in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask]