Oedipus complex
The Oedipus complex, a concept introduced by Sigmund Freud, refers to a child's feelings of desire for the opposite-sex parent and jealousy toward the same-sex parent, derived from the Greek myth of Oedipus. In the myth, Oedipus unknowingly kills his father and marries his mother, Jocasta, a narrative that Freud interpreted as a metaphor for certain dynamics in familial relationships and infantile sexuality. Freud proposed that these complex emotions are a universal part of male development, potentially leading to neuroses if not resolved appropriately.
However, over time, the Oedipus complex has been met with skepticism within psychology, as historical data suggests that incestuous behaviors are rare. Contemporary psychologists have largely moved away from Freud's theories, focusing instead on concepts such as attachment theory, which examines the effects of early relationships on emotional and social development. While discussions around the Oedipus complex often occur in literary contexts today, its influence on psychoanalysis and understanding family dynamics remains a notable part of psychological discourse.
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Subject Terms
Oedipus complex
- TYPE OF PSYCHOLOGY: Biological bases of behavior; developmental psychology; emotion; memory; personality; psychopathology; psychotherapy; social psychology
Oedipus, a character from Greek mythology who inadvertently killed his father and married his mother, became a model comparison figure for Sigmund Freud as he began the recognition of infantile sexuality and the Oedipus complex during his period of self-analysis, starting in 1897.
Introduction
The classic presentation of the myth of Oedipus is the play Oidipous Tyrannos (c. 429 Before the Common Era; Oedipus Tyrannus, 1715) by the Greek playwright Sophocles. The play begins when Laius, ruler of Thebes, is told he will one day be murdered by a son. When Jocasta, his wife, gives birth to a son, the couple orders him to be killed. Instead, the baby is abandoned, then found and adopted by Polybus, king of Corinth. The boy, named Oedipus, grows up believing Polybus is his biological father.
As an adult, Oedipus is told that he is fated to kill his father and, in an attempt to evade the prophecy, leaves Corinth. On the road, he meets an older man driving a wagon who refuses to move and let Oedipus pass. In a rage, Oedipus kills Laius, not aware that he is Oedipus’s biological father.
The throne of Thebes is now vacant, and through a series of circumstances, Oedipus becomes king of Thebes and marries the widow of the former king—his biological mother, Jocasta. The two have four daughters. Thebes is then beset with a terrible plague. Oedipus vows to save his kingdom and puts a curse on the person who must have committed the sin that caused the plague. Through an entanglement of circumstances and the confession of Polybus, Oedipus learns the truth about his murder of his father and his marriage to his mother, Jocasta. When Jocasta hangs herself in shame, Oedipus takes the brooches from her dress and thrusts the pins into his eyes, blinding himself so he cannot see the evil around him. Oedipus is taken to Mount Cithaeron, where he was initially abandoned and left to die as the gods originally intended.
Oedipus in the Human Psyche
Sigmund Freud, the Austrian founder of psychoanalysis, first turned his attention to the Oedipus myth while undertaking his own self-analysis in the late 1890s, as he was attempting to puzzle out the dynamics of infant sexuality. After studying the Oedipus myth, Freud believed he had gained insight into the human mind, revealing a basic tenet of the human psyche based on persons dealing with family dynamics. He also believed all male children deal with aggression toward their fathers and dream of making love to their mothers at some point in their development. Freud felt that Oedipus was the perfect model for this example because of his extreme behaviors.
Freud's theory was that improper infantile sexual feelings that were not dealt with caused neuroses that affected daily life. These neuroses could cause disabilities later on. However, historical data has proved incestuous behaviors are extremely rare in all societies worldwide. Psychiatrists have dismissed much of what Freud had to say on the subject.
Diagnosing this complex is difficult in the light of psychological research since Freud first used the term and began treatment using psychoanalysis. Versions of what might still be termed Oedipal conflicts may be found in psychiatric patients exhibiting sexual disorders as a result of childhood incestuous experiences. Serial murderers and sexual offenders often have suffered abnormal sexual experiences, and case histories show that perpetrators who sexually abuse children were often sexually abused as children themselves. However, the idea that the incestuous relations between children and adults are the result of (unconscious) desire on the part of the child is now discredited. Most references to the Oedipus complex now take place in the realm of literary studies.
In the twenty-first century, mainstream psychology continued to discredit the Oedipus complex theory due to a lack of empirical evidence. Practitioners did note that concepts, such as gender, power dynamics, competition for affection, and self-esteem, developed in early childhood and were often related to parental or guardian relationships. Still, Freud’s theory had largely been replaced by modern psychological concepts such as attachment theory.
Bibliography
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Kulish, Nancy, and Deanna Holtzmann. A Story of Her Own: The Female Oedipus Complex Reexamined and Renamed. Aronson, 2008.
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