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Philosophy and Political science

November 28, 2025; Cambridge, UK: IX International Scientific and Practical Conference «EDUCATION AND SCIENCE OF TODAY: INTERSECTORAL ISSUES AND DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENCES»


MALE NARCISSISM, AUTOGYNEPHILIC FORMATIONS, AND THE APPROPRIATION OF THE FEMININE: A PSYCHOANALYTIC–PSYCHIATRIC AND GENDER-CRITICAL FEMINIST READING


DOI
https://doi.org/10.36074/logos-28.11.2025.049
Published
28.11.2025

Abstract

This article offers a sustained analytic reading of three interlinked domains that have been variously conceptualized in psychiatry and psychoanalysis: (a) the psychic vicissitudes of male self-actualization when gender incongruence or cross-gender expression emerge; (b) the theory of autogynephilia and its empirical and conceptual contestations; and (c) the intersection of narcissistic pathology, gaslighting, and family dynamics in relationships affected by gender transition or cross-gender behaviour. Grounded in classical psychoanalytic formulations of the self and narcissism (Kohut; Kernberg) and in contemporary psychiatric nosology (DSM; WPATH Standards), the paper interrogates Blanchardian typologies and their methodological bases, surveys neuroanatomical and psychometric studies cited in support of typologies, and foregrounds methodological limits, ethical concerns, and the lived clinical consequences for partners and family members who report experiences of manipulation, invalidation, and ambiguous loss. The review concludes with practice recommendations that balance rigorous assessment, trauma-informed care for partners, and adherence to standards that guard against both diagnostic overreach and collateral stigmatization. It’s the kind of rigorous, expert-level, forensic analytical article that (1) treats theoretical claims (including Blanchard’s autogynephilia hypothesis) with critical scrutiny, (2) locates them in classical and contemporary psychoanalytic and psychiatric literatures (Kohut, Kernberg, DSM, WPATH), (3) analyses family dynamics (gaslighting, ambiguous loss) and clinical implications, and (4) supplies an extensive, balanced bibliography in APA 7 format so readers can follow the evidence and criticisms. The analysis below is deliberately critical of theories, methods, and clinical practice where warranted, but it avoids broad, abusive generalizations about transgender people and emphasizes ethical clinical care and the risks of pathologizing whole populations.

References

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