Oedipus complex is a phase of the male child's psychosexual development, which is characterized when she starts to feel a strong attraction to the mother figure and rivals the father figure.
The Oedipus Complex belongs to the process that forms child sexuality, a concept developed by the neurologist and creator of Psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud. Normally, the Oedipus Complex appears during the so-called “Phallic Phase”, which follows the “Oral Phase” and “Anal Phase”, according to Freudian psychoanalysis.
This term - Oedipus Complex - originated from Greek mythology, namely by influence of the story surrounding the Greek tragedy “Oedipus the King”, originally written by Sophocles, in 427 BC Ç.
Briefly, the legend of “Oedipus the King” tells the story of how Oedipus murdered his father and married his own mother, having four children with her. Both, however, did not know they were mother and child. When they found out (through the oracle), Jocasta, the mother of Oedipus, committed suicide. The boy, as punishment for not being able to recognize his own mother, pierced both eyes and went blind.
According to psychoanalysis, the Oedipus Complex appears between the first 3 and 5 years of a child's life. Based on the relationship that Freud makes with the Greek legend, at this stage an “incestuous desire” of the child for the mother develops, while at the same time it creates a relationship of conflict and dispute with the father.
Some of the symptoms of the Oedipus Complex include the jealousy that the boy feels for his mother, when she is in a more intimate relationship with her husband, for example.
According to Freud, overcoming the Oedipus Complex is essential for the child to perceive the father's representation in the relationship, as well as the structuring of the boy's individual personality.
If there is no correct resolution of the Oedipus Complex, it may have some consequences in the behavior of the future adult, such as: exaggerated dependence on the opposite sex, submission or oppression.
See also: the meaning of ego.
Electra Complex
Also known under Freudian psychoanalytic doctrine as "Female Oedipus Complex", consists of the desire and attraction that the female child feels for the father figure.
The term “Electra Complex” was coined by Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist Carl Gustav Jung, in reference to the Greek myth of Electra.
According to Greek mythology, Electra ordered the death of her own mother, after discovering that she had her father murdered.
Learn more about the meaning of Electra Complex.