Introduction: A bridge between two islands: psychoanalytic thinking and the research field Part I: What does Oedipal development have to do with the parents' sex, anyway? 1.“I want to marry you, Mommy”: On Oedipal configurations in same-sex families 2.Oedipal Configurations: Mutual illumination of theory and research findings Part II: What does genetics have to do with kinship, anyway? 3. On biological affiliation and kinship 4. A new hierarchy: Asymmetry between the birth mother and social mother in lesbian couples 5. Back to the closet: The issue of the child’s genetic origin among gay fathers 6. The dual role of the extended family. 7. The power of interpellation: kinship conceptualization among same-sex parents and their children Part III: What does procreation have to do with parental coitus, anyway? 8. Between longing and dread: representations of gamete donors and surogates in the children's inner-worlds. 9. Gamete donation in light of the primal scene: The parental challenge of integrating the donor’s imago Part IV: Afterword 10. Oedipus for Everyone? Biases in the Oedipal model: their roots and how to overcome them 11. How to work with same-sex families? Coda. The Kids Are All Right: a psychoanalytic reading in Lisa Cholodenko's film. Appendix A Appendix B.
Biography
Dr. Yifat Eitan-Persico is a practicing clinical psychologist and a candidate in the Israel Psychoanalytic Society. She is a translator and editor of psychoanalytic writings, and a lecturer in post-graduate psychoanalytic programs. The Hebrew edition of this book was awarded the prestigious Bahat Prize for the best academic book, 2021.
Oedipal Experiences in Same-Sex Families has won the 2025 International Book Awards in the LGBTQ+ Nonfiction Category.
'While much of the lens through which psychoanalytic theory views queerness and queer families can feel like trying to breathe in airless worlds, this book felt like oxygen.'
Field, A. (2025) Oedipal Experiences in Same-Sex Families by Yifat Eitan-Persico. British Journal of Psychotherapy 41:198-201.
'Dr. Eitan-Persico's book has given us a vigorous, systematic examination of the various pillars of oedipal dynamics. As we follow her comprehensive inquiry, we are invited to look at one of the most foundational concepts in psychoanalysis with a new set of eyes.'Földesi, G. (2025) Oedipal Experiences in Same-Sex Families, by Yifat Eitan-Persico, New York: Routledge, 2024, 328 pp. Fort Da 31:41-46.
'Oedipal Experiences In Same-Sex Families is a clearly written volume that elucidates the processes of psychic development and family dynamics in children and families with same-sex parents, including the ways that social or cultural forces pose particular challenges to be worked through psychologically. Delivering an abundance of rich and originative phantasies about lived experiences, this book is a treat, especially for readers who enjoy well-told stories.'Lynch, P. E. (2025). Oedipal Experiences in Same-Sex Families: By Yifat Eitan-Persico. The Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 94(2), 329–335. https://doi.org/10.1080/00332828.2025.2480489
'Through a remarkable blend of psychoanalytic insight and phenomenological observation, Eitan-Persico offers a nuanced portrait of queer kinship that is neither utopian nor dystopian. As a result, we are given the opportunity to appreciate both the vulnerability and vigor that compose queer families, along with the innovation they bring to our shopworn ideas about kinship.'
Ken Corbett, Clinical Assistant Professor at the NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis; author of Boyhoods: Rethinking Masculinities, and A Murder Over A Girl: Justice, Gender, Junior High
'Oedipal Experiences in Same-Sex Families is a brilliant book that presents an original and innovative psychoanalytic perspective on same-sex families. Eitan-Persico offers outstanding insights on both children and parents’ internal worlds, challenges heteronormative notions of genetics and kinship, birth and procreation. Her research integrates psychoanalytic thinking with LGBTQ family research and presents rigorous rethinking of the Oedipal model in light of contemporary social changes. This is an important and fascinating book.'
Galit Atlas, PhD, faculty member at NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy & Psychoanalysis; author of Emotional inheritance: A Therapist, Her Patients and the Legacy of Trauma
'An innovative and profound book, resting on incisive thinking, comprehensive knowledge and sophisticated critical analysis. In addition to its important contribution for the crucial updating of theory, the book deepens our clinical sensitivity and understanding of same-sex families, and illuminates the changing reality of child-rearing in the 21st century.'
Emanuel Berman, Haifa University and the Israel Psychoanalytic Society; Recipient of the Sigourney award, 2011
