Femininity in very old age: Destiny of a sexual identity

Aims. - The main studies focusing on the developments of femininity exclude the field of very old age. The objective of this work is therefore to identify what forms they may take at this time of life. Method. - Using clinical material from a six-year psychotherapy with a woman in her nineties, we hypothesize that her thoughts, hallucinations, and fantasies could be a path of expression of femininity at the end of life. These sessions were carried out monthly in an institutional context by a psychologist with a psychoanalytical orientation. Remaining desirable when all external objects tend to disappear is undoubtedly one of the main challenges at this stage of life. In order to analyze this clinical material, we use the phenomenological and psychoanalytic paradigm. The first allows us to situate the patient as author and subject of her experience. The second provides an analysis after the fact by means of a Freudo-Lacanian theoretical frame of reference. Results. - Articulating theory and clinical material, we examine the subject's hallucinations and their main mechanisms, along with the related speech acts. This is the manifestation of the subject's desire. We consider the differences between hysterical and psychotic hallucinations, in addition to the roles related to femininity and motherhood. The diverse forms they take are highlighted, clarifying the expression of these identities in old age. Discussion. - These elements can assist in guiding psychotherapeutic care. They also help clinicians to discern what the subject is saying during these psychic manifestations that are frequent at this age. Conclusion. - Beyond the purely psychological framework, the results of this study call into question policies applied to aging, in particular the objectives of certain intergenerational projects focused mainly on the maternal. (C) 2020 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.