In psychoanalysis , a Madonnaโwhore complex also called a Madonnaโmistress complex is the inability to maintain sexual arousal within a committed and loving relationship. Men with this complex desire a sexual partner who has been degraded whore while they cannot desire the respected partner Madonna. Freud argued that the Madonnaโwhore complex was caused by a split between the affectionate and the sexual currents in male desire.
Whereas the man loves women in the former category, he despises and devalues the latter group. According to this theory, in adulthood the boy-turned-man seeks to avenge these mistreatments through sadistic attacks on women who are stand-ins for mother. It is possible that such a split may be exacerbated when the sufferer is raised by a cold but overprotective mother, [ 7 ] with the lack of emotional nurturing paradoxically strengthening an incestuous tie.
Another theory claims that the Madonnaโwhore complex derives from the alleged representations of women as either madonnas or whores in mythology and Abrahamic theology rather than developmental disabilities of individual men.
Feminist theory asserts that the male-written culture MWC perpetuates patriarchal norms by controlling women's sexual autonomy through shaming, reinforcing gender stereotypes, and allowing men to maintain power. Additionally, researchers Emily Kane and Mimi Schippers [ d ] argue that assertive female sexuality threatens male social dominance, as men may fear manipulation, reducing female autonomy to preserve their power.
Titian 's Sacred and Profane Love ; the sacred-profane title is from has several interpretations. The clothed woman has said to be dressed as a bride [ 12 ] [ 13 ] and as a courtesan. This mortal sin drives Stephen's inner conflict and eventual transformation towards the end of the novel.
