Frigidity: The Ability to Say No with One’s Body

Abstract

One example of the positive process is the way we deal with the problem of frigidity. More than anyone else, the gynecologist deals with this phenomenon. It is an instance that gives rise to many problems. Often there is no detectable physical cause for it, and connections with hormonal disorders are more the exception than the rule. Nor can genetic disorders be accepted as the cause in most cases. This leaves only psychosomatic considerations—and here the practicing gynecologist is often rather helpless. One cause for the difficulty is the illness designation of frigidity itself. It assumes that the woman carries this frigidity around as a health defect, just like a growth in the uterus. What we mean by the positive process can be illustrated by the following case.