Psychoanalysis in Laura Mulvey’s Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema
In the opening of Laura Mulvey’s essay, she introduces the concept of psychoanalysis and its use
in understanding the oppression of women within a patriarchal system. Her essay, Visual Pleasure
and Narrative Cinema, relies heavily on the psychoanalytic theories of Sigmund Freud and Jacques
Lacan, both of whom have had a profound influence on psychoanalytic feminism, a field that
applies psychoanalytic concepts to critique patriarchy and gender dynamics. While Freud’s
theories are often criticized for their perceived misogyny, Mulvey explores how psychoanalytic
feminism uses these ideas to better understand the psychological foundations of women’s
oppression and its roots in a male-dominated social order.
The psychoanalytic approach Mulvey draws upon includes key ideas from Freud, particularly
those concerning the unconscious mind, as well as Lacan’s reinterpretations of Freud’s work. In
the context of psychoanalytic feminism, these ideas are employed to critique the ways gender
roles are constructed and reinforced by societal norms. Feminist theorists like Juliet Mitchell, in
her seminal work Psychoanalysis and Feminism (1975), suggest that Freud's theories should not be
seen as a prescription for social order, but rather as a description of the world as it is. Mitchell
goes on to argue that Lacan’s reinterpretation of Freud’s ideas helps move beyond Freud's
biological determinism, emphasizing the symbolic and psychological dimensions of gender
rather than a strict biological basis. This shift provides a more flexible framework that aligns with
feminist objectives, allowing gender roles to be understood as socially constructed rather than
biologically fixed.
Mulvey’s essay begins by exploring the role of psychoanalysis in feminist theory, specifically
focusing on how it reveals the frustrations and limitations imposed on women within a
phallocentric system—one that centers around male identity and the male body. Phallocentrism,
as Mulvey explains, refers to the social and cultural dominance of the male sexual organ, or
phallus, which is used to structure the world and define gender roles. Within this framework,
women are symbolically associated with “lack,” defined by their absence of the phallus. This
notion of “lack” becomes central to Mulvey’s critique of how women are represented in cinema
and media.
According to Freud, the concept of "castration anxiety" plays a crucial role in shaping gender
identity, particularly for boys. This anxiety arises from the realization that girls do not possess a
penis, which leads to a fear that boys may lose their own. This fear, Freud argues, is central to the
formation of male identity. For women, however, the absence of the phallus becomes a defining
feature of their identity in the symbolic order. As Mulvey notes, women are defined by their
“lack,” which becomes a symbolic presence in the social world, constantly evoking male desire.
In Lacan’s theory, this lack is not just a physical absence but a psychological and symbolic one,
linked to desire and the formation of identity. Both men and women are defined by what they
lack, with the phallus representing a symbol of desire for both sexes.
Mulvey critiques the portrayal of women in film, noting that these representations often
reinforce the notion of women’s “lack.” Women are depicted as objects to be looked at and
desired, while men are the active agents who gaze upon them. This dynamic, Mulvey argues, is
part of a larger cultural structure that reinforces gendered power imbalances. Women’s bodies in
film, often presented as passive objects of male desire, serve to uphold the patriarchal
unconscious. This system not only defines women by their lack of the phallus but also reinforces
the anxiety surrounding castration and male power.
In the opening of Laura Mulvey’s essay, she introduces the concept of psychoanalysis and its use
in understanding the oppression of women within a patriarchal system. Her essay, Visual Pleasure
and Narrative Cinema, relies heavily on the psychoanalytic theories of Sigmund Freud and Jacques
Lacan, both of whom have had a profound influence on psychoanalytic feminism, a field that
applies psychoanalytic concepts to critique patriarchy and gender dynamics. While Freud’s
theories are often criticized for their perceived misogyny, Mulvey explores how psychoanalytic
feminism uses these ideas to better understand the psychological foundations of women’s
oppression and its roots in a male-dominated social order.
The psychoanalytic approach Mulvey draws upon includes key ideas from Freud, particularly
those concerning the unconscious mind, as well as Lacan’s reinterpretations of Freud’s work. In
the context of psychoanalytic feminism, these ideas are employed to critique the ways gender
roles are constructed and reinforced by societal norms. Feminist theorists like Juliet Mitchell, in
her seminal work Psychoanalysis and Feminism (1975), suggest that Freud's theories should not be
seen as a prescription for social order, but rather as a description of the world as it is. Mitchell
goes on to argue that Lacan’s reinterpretation of Freud’s ideas helps move beyond Freud's
biological determinism, emphasizing the symbolic and psychological dimensions of gender
rather than a strict biological basis. This shift provides a more flexible framework that aligns with
feminist objectives, allowing gender roles to be understood as socially constructed rather than
biologically fixed.
Mulvey’s essay begins by exploring the role of psychoanalysis in feminist theory, specifically
focusing on how it reveals the frustrations and limitations imposed on women within a
phallocentric system—one that centers around male identity and the male body. Phallocentrism,
as Mulvey explains, refers to the social and cultural dominance of the male sexual organ, or
phallus, which is used to structure the world and define gender roles. Within this framework,
women are symbolically associated with “lack,” defined by their absence of the phallus. This
notion of “lack” becomes central to Mulvey’s critique of how women are represented in cinema
and media.
According to Freud, the concept of "castration anxiety" plays a crucial role in shaping gender
identity, particularly for boys. This anxiety arises from the realization that girls do not possess a
penis, which leads to a fear that boys may lose their own. This fear, Freud argues, is central to the
formation of male identity. For women, however, the absence of the phallus becomes a defining
feature of their identity in the symbolic order. As Mulvey notes, women are defined by their
“lack,” which becomes a symbolic presence in the social world, constantly evoking male desire.
In Lacan’s theory, this lack is not just a physical absence but a psychological and symbolic one,
linked to desire and the formation of identity. Both men and women are defined by what they
lack, with the phallus representing a symbol of desire for both sexes.
Mulvey critiques the portrayal of women in film, noting that these representations often
reinforce the notion of women’s “lack.” Women are depicted as objects to be looked at and
desired, while men are the active agents who gaze upon them. This dynamic, Mulvey argues, is
part of a larger cultural structure that reinforces gendered power imbalances. Women’s bodies in
film, often presented as passive objects of male desire, serve to uphold the patriarchal
unconscious. This system not only defines women by their lack of the phallus but also reinforces
the anxiety surrounding castration and male power.
