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Ellyn Kaschak, a feminist psychotherapist and psychology professor, introduced the Antigone Complex, which adapts Sigmund Freud’s Oedipus Complex to the experiences women face in modern society. Women are socialized to put the well-being of men before their own, leading to a subordination of their own needs and wants. Kaschak believes women can overcome this by seeing themselves in terms of their own potential.
A psychology professor at San Jose State University in California and a leading feminist psychotherapist, Ellyn Kaschak has made major contributions to psychology. In a field that often sees the male personality as the norm, Ellyn Kaschak has introduced many crucial theories of feminist psychology. Ellyn Kaschak is most likely best known for her theory of the “Antigone complex”, introduced in her book Engenendered Lives: The Psychology of Women’s Experience. Kaschak’s Antigone Complex examines Sigmund Freud’s Oedipus Complex, adapting it to the experiences women face in modern society.
The Oedipus complex, a part of the theories developed by Sigmund Freud more than a hundred years ago, deals with the topic of male development. Freud proposed that boys learn male gender roles through the Oedipus Complex, which is characterized by a boy’s sexual desire to mother him. The boy learned to be a man in fear of punishment – and ultimately, castration – at the hands of his father in retaliation for his wishes. Freud named it the Oedipus complex after the Greek tragedy of Oedipus, who killed his father and married his mother.
Freud’s theories have long been known for their treatment of women: Freud alternately viewed women as abnormal or avoided theorizing about their development altogether. Ellyn Kaschak, like many theorists and psychotherapists who have followed in Freud’s footsteps, has attempted to fill in the blanks with theories that illustrate female development in today’s world. Kaschak’s Antigone Complex attempts to do this by extending the Oedipus myth to cover the female side of the spectrum.
In the Antigone Complex, Ellyn Kaschak refers to the plight of Antigone, the daughter of Oedipus. Upon learning of her misdeeds – killing his father and begetting children with her mother – Oedipus blinds himself in a dramatic act of retribution by self-mutilation. Later, however, her welfare falls on the shoulders of Antigone, who gives up her freedom and an independent life to take care of her father. A life spent putting the well-being of the men of her family before his own ultimately leads to Antigone’s untimely death at her hands. Despite the considerable sacrifices Antigone makes for the men of her family, she is at best a minor character in the tragedies of her father and brothers.
Ellyn Kaschak uses the story of Antigone to draw a parallel to women in modern society. She points out that women are socialized to constantly put the well-being of their loved ones, especially that of the men in their lives, before their own. Furthermore, Kaschak theorizes that women internalize society’s narrow view of their identities and usefulness, until their self-image aligns with society’s expectations. Thus, a woman in Kaschak’s Antigone phase sees herself as an extension of the men in her life, often subordinating her own needs and wants to ensure that theirs are met.
As an extension of the Antigone Complex, Ellyn Kaschak also theorizes that because many women internalize society’s values and concepts of femininity, their self-worth is determined by how well they conform to society’s standards. For example, many women judge their worth based on their sexuality and attractiveness to men. It’s important to note that Ellyn Kaschak doesn’t see the Antigone Complex as a permanent barrier to female development. Conversely, Kaschak theorizes that women can overcome the Antigone Complex by learning to see themselves in terms of their own potential, rather than that of the men with whom they are associated.
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