Weaning from the mother’s body coincides with the child’s first attempts to seduce others

Evidence

The world is first present to the newborn only in the form of immanent sensations; he is still immersed within the Whole as he was when he was living in the darkness of a womb; whether raised on the breast or on a bottle, he is invested with the warmth of maternal flesh. Little by little he learns to perceive objects as distinct from himself: he separates himself from them; at the same time, more or less suddenly, he is removed from the nourishing body; sometimes he reacts to this separation with a violent fit; in any case, when it is consummated—around six months—he begins to manifest the desire to seduce others by mimicking, which then turns into a real display. — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 677

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to Lacan’s mirror stage and the subject’s constitution through the other’s gaze — foundational for the Continental tradition the reader is building. — connects to: Learning one’s own parents engage in sex triggers horror and repudiation; The mother’s bond with the child is domination, not a penis-substitute — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1508; Feminine eroticism involves becoming an object to snare another — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 845

Broader Connections

• Feminine eroticism involves becoming an object to snare another #expands (0.78) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 845
• The mother’s bond with the child is domination, not a penis-substitute #contradicts (0.75) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1508
• Learning one’s own parents engage in sex triggers horror and repudiation #corroborates (0.72)