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Supplemental Essay: Matriarchal Orientation

In the main essay I said, Thus, alongside the more traditional male gender roles (authoritarian, spiritual, ascetic, etc.) there exist men who incorporate a "matriarchal orientation," such as rescuers of damsels in distress, Don Juan lovers, sensitive or effeminate men, artistic temperaments, men who never grow up and remain tied to their mother's apron-strings, etc.

 

Factors favoring a matriarchal orientation

A "matriarchal orientation" develops as follows:

 

Recapping the N level: At the N level the infant starts life in thrall to the Great Mother and slowly "individuates" and creates itself as an independent entity. Erich Neumann calls this an "heroic" endeavor: "The 'heroic' character of ego-development, demonstrable in all phases, is perhaps most striking here at the beginning. Because any new development is connected with giving up security, with risking and taking danger and suffering upon oneself, it requires a 'heroic' ego. The child's growing independence and its exodus from the matriarchal phase dominated by the mother stands under the sign of the loss of security, of separation from the protection that the mother has promised and given so abundantly and for so long."[1]

 

At the S level: When the S level is reached, progress is marked by a transition from the matriarchal to the patriarchal stages. Neumann says that at such times of transition, "the Self always 'disguises' or 'clothes' itself in the archetype of the phase toward which progress must advance. At the same time the previously dominant archetype is constellated so that its 'negative' side appears."[2] So the Great Mother is perceived as the Terrible Mother, while the Great Father is represented by the Good Father. 

 

Neumann says that the mother appears "terrible" to the developing ego "because she represents the element that 'holds fast' or 'arrests,' that hinders the development necessary and now 'due.'" In defense of the mother, Neumann adds that "This 'terribleness' is archetypal, that is, even independent of the personal mother's correct behavior." As described elsewhere, much of this conflict is "back-projection," in other words, an interpretation put on an internal conflict by the ego after the fact. The child is instinctually programmed to grow and develop independence; but at the same time growth and independence are terrifying and the ego feels the pull back to the womb: "It is difficult to step out of security into danger, out of the unconscious unity with a Thou into the loneliness of an independence and autonomy becoming conscious of itself."[3]

 

But Neumann says that the human species is programmed to grow in the direction of consciousness and independence and "to extricate oneself from participation mystique and to discover oneself as different and differing from others, that is, to discover one's individuality." As part of this growth process, "the matriarchal realm takes on the character of what must be overcome: the lower, infantile and archaic, but also abysmal and chaotic. All these symbols are connected with the Terrible Feminine, the devouring feminine 'Dragon of the Abyss.'"[4]

 

At the S level, the child perceives the Terrible Mother as an obstacle to be overcome. Neumann says, "Regardless how positively and correctly she behaves personally, the mother of the primal relationship must turn into a witch, for the child's early bond to her is, of course, a restrictive and consequently 'witchlike' power in the child itself, which the child must overcome in favor of its progressive ego-development; that is, 'matricide,' which belongs among the hero's tasks, is demanded of the child. But this ego is heroic because it performs the most difficult task: it slays what is most dear to it, the relationship to the mother, under the guise of the dragon that holds it fast."[5]

 

Neumann says that the child inevitably feels guilt at separating itself from the mother, in other words, at the prospect of committing "matricide." Some mothers register the growing independence of their child and oppose that independence by playing upon the child's feelings of guilt to reinforce the mother-child bond: "The attitude of the personal mother toward this archetypally necessary transition is extremely important. What is easier than to increase the child's growing guilt feelings, to demand the child be "good" and thus strengthen its now-regressive bondage to the mother!" Neumann describes such a clinging mother as "the witch in 'Hansel and Gretel' whose house is made of cake and sugar but who devours the child inside. Her anxiety about the child, like her spoiling it, are fetters."[6]

 

Neumann describes a healthier alternative: "In contrast to this, a 'good' mother in the same situation understands that in the development of the child's ego she necessarily must 'become a witch,' that she must be overcome and must set her child free. It is precisely her ability not only to protect but also to 'deliver up' her child at the developmentally right moment and consciously to expose it to dangers that are necessary for the development of its autonomy that characterize the 'good' mother."[7]

 

As described in the main essay, the father represents a positive model for the child, "if the child can rely on a father figure who supports it in its evolution towards independence and hence relative liberation from the mother." Neumann says that "the representative of the patriarchy in the family is of decisive significance." But here too, problems can arise. Neumann says that that a weak or absent father figure can make it more difficult for the child to individuate properly. Conversely, a too-strong father can also be a problem: "an overpowering, 'threatening' father impedes the child's progression toward him," while a weak mother doesn't provide enough security as a base for the child to jump off toward masculinity. Thus, "It is always a question of the relative balance of the father and mother figures and of their elasticity, which conforms to the developmental needs of the child either by their stepping back or emphasizing their influence."[8]

 

Nor do the child's problems end there. Neumann also suggests that puberty can be a problem by virtue of social barriers on the way to progression. Modern man has no initiation ceremonies, and puberty is a fraught time with many challenges. A child can be so daunted by the partnering process that he remains stuck in a form of psychic matriarchal castration.[9]

 

There are also issues specifically related to the sexual aspect of the mother-child bond. Freud emphasized the sexual nature of mother-son relations in his description of the child's Oedipal instincts; and in the main essay I described development of the Anima as a means of freeing the child's sexual drive from association with the mother. In the main essay I said, With puberty and adolescence approaching, the son experiences an awakening of sexual interest in females; but the son recognizes that the Great Mother is an inappropriate target for sexual desire and thus must declare his independence from the Great Mother and find a new and different template for relating to females--one that allows for sex without incest.

 

In The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious Carl Jung also speaks of the sexual aspect of the mother-son bond. Jung says that "Because of the difference in sex, a son's mother-complex does not appear in pure form. This is the reason why in every masculine mother-complex, side by side with the mother archetype, a significant role is played by the image of the man's sexual counterpart, the anima. The mother is the first feminine being with whom the man-to-be comes in contact, and she cannot help playing, overtly or covertly, consciously or unconsciously, upon the son's masculinity, just as the son in his turn grows increasingly aware of his mother's femininity, or unconsciously responds to it by instinct. In the case of the son, therefore, the simple relationships of identity or of resistance and differentiation are continually cut across by erotic attraction or repulsion, which complicates matters very considerably." Jung goes on to say that, in the son, a mother-complex "injures the masculine instinct through an unnatural sexualization."[10]

 

So the anima (and the mother-son bond from which it springs) is a powerful influence on men. In The Fear of the Feminine Erich Neumann says, "The anima is that side of the male psyche associated with the Feminine that entices the man to adventure, to the conquest of the new. But it is also negatively associated with everything that signifies illusion and delusion, and indeed as madness it signifies a real danger."[11]

 

To sum up: Neumann says that the Terrible Mother represents "an enticing, seductive force sucking one downward." And it lurks in our unconscious throughout our lives. At times of stress, anxiety, and depression it can appear as a regressive pull, "a yearning for peace expressed as tiredness, surrender, and even suicide. The regressive tendency appears as a negative drive, as deadly incest with the Terrible Mother. [...] This danger is the basis of what Freud attempted to interpret as the death instinct."[12]

 

(In a separate essay I will discuss patriarchal orientation, in other words, where a boy may favor patriarchal values to such a great extent that he devalues and excludes the Feminine influence.)

 

Matriarchal orientation: Personality profiles

As described in the main essay, Neumann says that the feminine side of life is comprised of the following: "A matriarchal group that represents mass emotionality, strong local ties & inertia, a bond to nature and the instincts via menstruation, pregnancy, and lactation, a tie to earth via the development of gardening and agriculture, and the strengthening of participation mystique via community life huddled together in caves or working together in houses and villages. Neumann says that these activities represent an N-level psychology of community, association, and collectivism: "All these factors reinforce the submergence in the unconscious which is a characteristic feature of the female group."

 

Therefore children who retain a focus on the Feminine influence may temporarily or permanently exhibit a personality defined by matriarchal orientation. These might include men (or women) with an overly collectivist or female-centric outlook on life. Jung and Neumann provide some elaborate personality profiles for males who represent this kind of outlook. For example:

 

1) Infantilized males who cling to mother figures (in other words, so-called "momma's boys"). Neumann describes such men: "[A] total mother fixation can lead to complete developmental failure, i.e., to a lack of autonomy [...] Here we find, for example, bachelors and eccentrics who still live with the mother, men who cannot separate from the mother and who, although often nearly fifty themselves, completely collapse following her death. [...] The man does not trust his own masculinity..."[13]

 

2) Men who split women into angels or whores. Neumann says, "[I]t results in splitting woman into a higher and lower femaleness, and the man can have a relationship to only one aspect at a time; that is, on the one hand the man worships the woman and achieves a relationship to her of supremely valuable friendship, but on the other hand a sexual relationship is possible, if at all, only with a prostitute or with a woman of inferior social status."[14]

 

3) So-called "Don Juan" types. Neumann says, "His failure lies in his inability to commit himself to a woman, and without exception fear of the Feminine lies behind his inability."[15] Jung adds, "In Don Juanism, he unconsciously seeks his mother in every woman he meets."[16]

 

4) Marriage to a mother or daughter figure. Neumann says that this is actually the model for a "patriarchal marriage," and "for the man this means that he can indeed overcome his initial mother fixation, but in his ego-development he can not project the anima on his partner in the patriarchal marriage." The anima is split off from the marriage partner is free to attach itself to women outside the marriage: "Thus the anima turns into a marriage-wrecker and seductress par excellence."[17]

 

5) Neumann suggests that some types of effeminacy or homosexuality in males may be grounded in "fear of the female body, either because the body itself is taboo, or because women, especially the female genitals, are feared as the terrible, castrating 'vagina dentata.'"[18]

 

6) Carl Jung adds a portrait of the poet: The poet pursues an unconscious vision of a beloved anima, which is based on an idealized mother figure. It comes to him as poetic visions from his unconscious: Goddesses, beautiful cities, feminine symbols, etc. The poet isn't traditionally a hedonist; he is pursuing poetic visions that are abstract and soothing to the point of creating an alternate reality.[19]

 

Carl Jung stresses that in normal daily life all these male temperaments have their positive, pro-social aspects. 

 

For example, concerning the "Don Juan" type, Jung says that it can be characterized by "bold and resolute manliness; ambitious striving after the highest goals; opposition to all stupidity, narrow-mindedness, injustice, and laziness; willingness to make sacrifices for what is regarded as right, sometimes bordering on heroism; perseverance, inflexibility and toughness of will; a curiosity that does not shrink even from the riddles of the universe; and finally, a revolutionary spirit which strives to put a new face upon the world."[20]

 

Of effeminate males, Jung says, "Thus a man with a mother-complex may have a finely differentiated Eros instead of, or in addition to, homosexuality. [...] This gives him a great capacity for friendship, which often creates ties of astonishing tenderness between men and may even rescue friendship between the sexes from the limbo of the impossible. He may have good taste and an aesthetic sense which are fostered by the presence of a feminine streak. Then he may be supremely gifted as a teacher because of his almost feminine insight and tact. He is likely to have a feeling for history, and to be conservative in the best sense and cherish the values of the past. Often he is endowed with a wealth of religious feelings, which help to bring the ecclesia spiritualis into reality; and a spiritual receptivity which makes him responsive to revelation."[21]

 

In other words, none of the various personality portraits that I listed above intrinsically represents a form of pathology or mental illness. In normal day-to-day life these are all law-abiding, virtuous males who contribute positively to society. But they live their lives in the shadow of the Great Mother, and to the extent that they occasionally drift into periods of stress, anxiety, depression, personal crises, etc., the likelihood is that they will fall into various states of matriarchal castration in increasingly severe forms. Their problems will probably spiral increasingly around female figures or replacements for their mothers in their lives. Matriarchal castration tends to trigger a Great Mother fight. (See the main essay for more on matriarchal castration and Great Mother fights.)

 

To conclude: Camille Paglia presents a number of profiles in Sexual Personae of literary and cultural figures who might be viewed as "living in the shadow of the Great Mother." Since Rousseau's time Se Champions have been some of the leading figures in the cultural history of Western civilization. Just by way of example I have selected a few excerpts about two Romantic poets who were strongly influenced by Rousseau. One can see the same themes still resonating in Western culture today.

 

Goethe and The Sufferings of Young Werther

Paglia devotes the better part of a chapter in Sexual Personae to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) and his literary works. Just to capture the tone, here are a couple excerpts concerning Goethe's first great novel, The Sufferings of Young Werther. Paglia says, "The young Goethe, a disciple of Rousseau, begins German literary self-consciousness in a welter of sexual ambiguities. [...Werther] is Rousseau's emotional feminized male, pale, melancholy, tearful. He is the moody double-sexed adolescent first documented by Shakespeare. Romantic adolescence has spiritual superiority. For Werther, childhood is beautiful and pure, while masculine adulthood is sordid and debased; so refusing to grow up is noble. Werther clings to his feminine mood-states to defeat time and gender. [...] This was the first salvo of the Romantic youth-cult, to return in our own frenetic 1960s."[22]

 

Wordsworth

Paglia devotes a full chapter in Sexual Personae to the Romantic poet William Wordsworth (1770-1850). Again, a couple excerpts: "From first to last, he sees nature with Rousseau's eyes. [...] Wordsworth's first principle is 'wise passiveness,' a feminine receptivity opening us to nature. [...] Reality is active, the poet contemplative, dominated by nature. The poem is a manifesto of sexual dissent, a withdrawal from the traditional masculine sphere of action and achievement. [...] Wordsworth forfeits maleness for spiritual union with mother nature: Wholeness through self-mutilation. His poetry revives the ritualism of the Asiatic mother-cults, whose priests castrated themselves for the goddess."[23]

 

Paglia says that Wordsworth rejects reason: He finds it "brutal and uncreative. Murder by dissection means analysis is masculine, penetrating and killing. Intellect is too aggressive. The heart 'receives' knowledge as a bride opens to her husband. The poet's sex reversal is unmistakeable: his shadowy Powers appear here as female nature. The male perfects himself by shamanistic sacrifice of virility. When he is completely passive, nature showers him with gifts. He is holy newborn and she Madonna and Magi. There is nothing negative in the teacher. Thus there can be nothing negative in the lesson. [...] Enlightenment means androgyny. Nature is man's model. Since she is female, he must become feminine. [...] A man reaches the height of moral understanding through psychic transsexualism."[24]

Link: Return to Sensing (S)

~Posted November 14, 2023

References

[1] Erich Neumann, The Fear of the Feminine, and Other Essays on Feminine Psychology (Essays of Erich Neumann, Vol 4), trans. Matthews, Doughty, Rolfe, and Cullingworth, Bollingen Series LXI, 4, (Princeton University Press, 1994), p. 237.

[2] Ibid., p. 238.

[3] Ibid., p. 239.

[4] Ibid., p. 241.

[5] Ibid., p. 243-4.

[6] Ibid., p. 244.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Ibid., pp. 246-248.

[9] Ibid., pp. 250-251.

[10] C.G. Jung, The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious (The Collected Works of C.G. Jung, Vol. 9, part 1), trans. R.F.C. Hull, with a forward by C.G. Jung, Bollingen Series XX (Bollingen Foundation Inc., 1959), pp. 85-86, pars. 162-163.

[11] Erich Neumann, The Fear of the Feminine, and Other Essays on Feminine Psychology (Essays of Erich Neumann, Vol 4), trans. Matthews, Doughty, Rolfe, and Cullingworth, Bollingen Series LXI, 4, (Princeton University Press, 1994), pp. 254-255.

[12] Ibid., pp. 241-242.

[13] Ibid., pp. 257-258.

[14] Ibid., p. 259.

[15] Ibid., p. 260.

[16] C.G. Jung, The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious (The Collected Works of C.G. Jung, Vol. 9, part 1), trans. R.F.C. Hull, with a forward by C.G. Jung, Bollingen Series XX (Bollingen Foundation Inc., 1959), p. 85, par. 162.

[17] Erich Neumann, The Fear of the Feminine, and Other Essays on Feminine Psychology (Essays of Erich Neumann, Vol 4), trans. Matthews, Doughty, Rolfe, and Cullingworth, Bollingen Series LXI, 4, (Princeton University Press, 1994), pp. 261-262.

[18] Ibid., p. 259.

[19] C.G. Jung, Symbols of Transformation (The Collected Works of C.G. Jung, Vol. 5), trans. R.F.C. Hull, with a forward by C.G. Jung, Bollingen Series XX (Princeton University Press, 1956), pp. 398-399 and 408, pars. 618-620 and 631.

[20] C.G. Jung, The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious (The Collected Works of C.G. Jung, Vol. 9, part 1), trans. R.F.C. Hull, with a forward by C.G. Jung, Bollingen Series XX (Bollingen Foundation Inc., 1959), p. 87, par. 165.

[21] Ibid., pp. 86-87

[22] Camille Paglia, Sexual Personae, Art and Decadence From Nefertiti to Emily Dickinson (First Vintage Books Edition, 1991), p. 248.

[23] Ibid., pp. 300-301.

[24] Ibid., p. 301.

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