Sometimes these desires misfire (Freud’s “erotic transference”); a woman’s desire for approval gets scrambled and mistaken for a desire to conquer. A mistaken lady may endeavor to exploit or control the power dynamic and the intensity of her admiration by bringing her boss down to the level where men most often see her: as sexual object. This undermines his authority and gives her the advantages of other women. With the right amount of backbone, a male boss could resist the storm of her advances in exchange for achievement of their shared goals. If he’s smart, he could tell the difference between admiration and attraction, even when she doesn’t. Acting on these emotions is behavior reserved for equally predatory and pathetic men. But a real boss is equipped to meet the psychological needs of a real, unconfused Promethean woman. He serves as a father-figure, existing as one of the few men in the world who make no biological demands of her. At best, like a father, he is there to reward her best behavior with attention, praise and advancement.

This is why the approval of your boss outweighs that of your boyfriend.

Footnotes of Mad Men: The Promethean Woman, or, Our Dog in the Parthenon

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   Peggy & Don (via madmenfootnotes)

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    Sometimes these desires misfire (Freud’s “erotic transference”); a woman’s desire for approval gets scrambled and...

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    Because we’re assuming the boss is a man…?

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    New Mad Men episodes + this keep me from focusing too much on my terrible allergies and ridiculous cold.

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