The lesbian problem was pretty much understood as masculinized women envious and avoidant of men. With the woman's movement, a few studies began to disclaim this limited view. This resulted in conveying a new message that women had valuable properties arising from their feminine qualities and potential. Psychoanalytic theory has traditionally adopted a clear position that a lesbian orientation represents some form of psychological abnormality. Only recently some influential feminist thinkers have begun to rethink issues of gender and sexual orientation, removing heterosexuality from its privileged position as normal.
Female sexuality is very diverse and fluid.
The field of psychoanalysis has and is going through many changes and expansions such as feminist self-psychology, a relational model that offers great potential for reexamination of the treatment of lesbians. This is the beginning of the recognition of a new vision, away from the 19th century science and medicine with its construction of normalcy and objectification of lesbians. The validity of the lesbian self, lifestyle and sexuality will not be recognized unless the social structure that judges some abnormal while others are judged normal is radically revised. It is very important that people who serve the lesbian population be either sensitive and knowledgeable about lesbians' specific needs or able to recognize their lack of understanding and refer out to someone else. By identifying as a member of a sexual minority, a lesbian gains some sense of cohesion but at the same time loses some of her self-identity.