The Theory Of Oedipus Complex

According to Freud's psychosexual stages of development, successful resolution of the Oedipus complex leads to _____

Oedipus complex stage is a child’s desire of a sexual gratification of the opposite sex of the parental figure. To resolve tis unconscious conflict of fear and erotic desire within one must characterize themselves with whom they want to be and what they desire. Sigmund Freud believed that little girls had penis envy. In later days men had higher rank than women. Girls were thought to first have a sexual attachment to their mother which eventually transferred to the father in hopes to somehow obtain a penis. According to Freud “Classic Theories and Modern

Differently to what is thought nowadays, the Oedipus complex described by Freud goes beyond just the son 's desire to have sex with his mother. The Oedipus complex includes the teenager 's psychosexual idea of feeling jealousy, anger, and above all, competing with his father. Besides, Freud’s theory emphasizes that boys select their mother as their principal object of desire, and subconsciously wish to usurp or even murder their fathers in order to gain exclusive possession of her and become their mothers ' lover.

Oedipus Rex, an ancient Greek tragedy authored by the playwright Sophocles, includes many types of psychological phenomena. Most prominently, the myth is the source of the well-known term Oedipal complex, coined by psychologist Sigmund Freud in the late 1800s. In psychology, “complex” refers to a developmental stage. In this case the stage involves the desire of males, usually ages three to five, to sexually or romantically posses their mother, and the consequential resentment of their fathers. In the play, a prince named Oedipus tries to escape a prophecy that says he will kill his father and marry his mother, and coincidentally saves the Thebes from a monster known as the Sphinx. Having unknowingly killed his true father Laius during his

In order to completely understand Oedipus and his actions, we must first understand the basics of Freud’s theories. One of the most well known aspects of Freudian theory is the Oedipus Complex. We can already see a relationship between the Oedipus

The Oedipus complex refers to the thoughts some men have regarding their mother or maternal figures. Many scenes from the play can prove Hamlet did have these thoughts about his mother, such as acts one and three. If the reader knows what he or she is looking for, then these signs can be easily spotted. The story of Oedipus Rex is an

The oral stage is the sex instinct centers on the mouth. Besides that, in the anal stage, the infant’s primary method of gratifying the sex instinct is through voluntary urination and defecation (Shaffer, 2008). Furthermore, the phallic stage is where children develop an incestuous desire for the opposite-sex parent. Latency period is where the sexual urges are pushed into sports and hobbies. Finally, the genital stage is when puberty triggers a comeback of sexual urges. The other ideas focused on by Freud were the Oedipus complex. According to Freud, it is the term used to describe a boy’s desires for his own mother and having jealousy and anger towards his father. Note that this is in the unconscious since such desires are unacceptable, and so are blocked from consciousness. Defense mechanism is the processes that distort reality to protect the ego (Friedman & Schustack, 2011). All defense mechanisms share two common properties; the first is that they often appear unconsciously, secondly; they tend to distort, transform, or otherwise misrepresent reality (Darren, 2007).

The Oedipus conflict or complex is a concept developed by Sigmund Freud to explain the origin of certain psychological disorders in childhood. It is defined as a child's unconscious desire for the exclusive love of the parent of the opposite sex. This desire includes jealousy toward the parent of the same sex and the unconscious wish for that parent's death. Horney states that it is not a “biologically given phenomenon” but rather a response to the “provocation’s” of the outside world.(Horney)

The Oedipus complex otherwise called 'mother fixation' is a mental inclination of a man. This term is used by Sigmund Freud as a part of his hypothesis of 'Psychosexual Stages of Development' to depict a kid's emotions of yearning for his mother and jealousy and outrage towards his father. Basically, a kid feels like he is in rivalry with his father for possession of his mother. He sees his father as a rival for her considerations and affections.

Bronislaw Malinowski, in his book ‘Sex and Repression in Savage Society’ says that it is wrong to assume that Oedipus complex is universal. He argues that this complex only “corresponds to the patrilineal societies” (5) in the world. He says that since “the constitutions of the family” goes under changes related to power, settlement, housing, sources of food, labour etc from time to time, and the “passion and attachments within the family vary” (4). Some critics connect this theory with Freud’s complex family structure. In his book, his father was twenty years elder than his mother and had a grandson when Freud was born (Afroz 9). M. Young, in his book “Whatever happened to Human nature?”, present Freud’s words from his letter to a friend where he says that he remembers falling in love with his mother and being jealous of his father and thus he “regards this complex as universal” (Afroz 9). Thus critics criticize him of regarding his personal experience as a universal one. Michel Juffé, a psychiatric says that “He [Freud] could not accept that parents - including his own parents - could be responsible for the psychic problems undergone by children. In

Throughout William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Shakespeare portrays Hamlet with the same types of behaviors and frustrations in humans that Sigmund Freud saw at a much later date. When the relationship between Hamlet and his mother is analyzed Freud's oedipal complex theory comes to mind. The oedipal complex is a theory created by Freud that states that "The child takes both of its parents, and more particularly one of them, as the object of its erotic wishes."(51) Because of this desire to be with the parent of the opposite sex, a rivalry is formed with the parent of the same sex. In the play, Hamlet shows great hostility toward his uncle Claudius because his mother's remarriage to him. Hamlet sees his mother's remarriage as disgusting

Freud was known for having the inclinations to follow every mental issue back to sexual issues. Despite the fact that lone parts of his hypothesis of psychosexual advancement are being acknowledged by standard analysts, Freud's hypothesis of the Oedipal Complex has turned out to be extremely well known in the way of life. That hypothesis is the critical for sexual association with the parent of the inverse sex and a corresponding feeling of contention with the parent of a similar sex. Sigmund Freud acquainted us with the idea in his "Interpretation of Dreams" in 1899. Psychoanalysis is a system of psychological theory and therapy that aims to treat mental disorders by investigating the interaction of conscious and unconscious elements. Freud developed this theory all because of his study of the unconscious mind. And that the unconscious mind will govern your mind and behavior to a greater than anyone would ever think would be done. The whole purpose of of the psychoanalysis theory is to to turn the unconscious conscious. That's what psychoanalysis is and how it was developed (McLeod, 2014).

Identification is a psychoanalytic theory that involves the ability to reduce the anxiety by imitating the behavior and characteristics of one individual. For instance, he would most likely imitate his fathers values, attitude and mannerisms. Girls are another way in which the Oedipus Complex could be resolved because girls usually identify with the same sex parent and then they develop a strong superego against urges. Freud considered this complex is be the cornerstone of superego and the nucleus of all human relationships. Oedipus in a way had this Oedipus Complex because

Oedipus and Electra complex in which the child unconsciously wishes to posses the parent of the opposite sex and rid themselves of the parent of the same sex. The result of this desire in boys would experience castration anxiety which would drive them to identify with their fathers. If there is no male figure in this stage of a child’s development it is thought that the child will have problems with authority figures later in life as he has never had the chance to conclude this stage. Freud’s explanation for the female development claiming that they would experience penis envy (a realisation they do not have a penis) they would eventually overcome by achieving motherhood and having their own baby. Latency stage from six years through puberty here the child will develop their confidence and mastery of the world around them. He believed that during this stage their experiences and excitations of previous stages are repressed and children develop infantile amnesia being unable to remember much of their earlier years. The Genital stage from twelve years upwards to adulthood is the culmination of the psychosexual development and the fixing of sexual energy in the genitals. This eventually directs humans towards sexual intercourse and the beginnings of the next cycle of life (Breger, 2009).

During this stage pleasure arises from genital stimulation. This is also the stage where children experience the Oedipus or Electra complex (Barlow, Durand, Stewart, 2009; Shaffer et al., 2010). Freud alleged that young boys would have sexual fantasies that included their mothers with accompanying feelings of anger toward their fathers. This was coupled with fears that their fathers would castrate them led to the Oedipus complex (Barlow, Durand, Stewart, 2009). Alternatively, girls may suffer from what is known as the Electra complex. Freud supposed that girls wanted to replace their mother’s place and assume a relationship with their father. This was coupled with penis envy of a brother or father as girl’s wished they could be more like the male figures in their life (Barlow, Durand, Stewart, 2009). If this stage was not resolved in childhood, Freud believed that anxiety from unresolved conflicts with same-sex parent lead to neuroses (Shaffer et al, 2010).