Blaming the Female Victim (Part 2)
The Psychology of misogyny and victim blaming
To comprehend the intractable nature of victim-blaming specific to female survivors of sexual abuse and misconduct, it’s relevant to consider the historical impact of psychology. Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, supported the myth of male supremacy by suggesting that women are naturally masochistic, prone to victimization, and morally undeveloped. Early in his career, many of Freud’s female patients frequently reported sexual abuse, most often naming their fathers as the abusers. Initially, Freud attributed his female patients’ symptoms to repressed memories of sexual abuse trauma. That these symptoms were so prevalent throughout Viennese society meant that child abuse was rampant.
According to Freudian scholar Dr. Jeffrey Masson, Freud dodged the prospect of scandal and political suicide by discrediting his findings of sexual abuse. Rather, he rationalized that these traumatic memories were in fact unconscious fantasies. Hence, Freud abandoned his female patients by supporting the male ethos and the prevailing Victorian mores of his time. An example of the tragic repercussions of this decision is documented in Louise DeSalvo’s book, Virginia Woolf: The Impact of Childhood Sexual Abuse on her Life and Work (1989). DeSalvo postulates that Woolf’s acceptance of Freud’s…
