The Oedipus Complex And The Electra Complex - 1032 Words

Sigmund Freud’s declaration that â€Å"neuroses†¦can be derived only from disturbances in sexual life† (94), challenged the prevailing societal attitudes of his day regarding mental health, childhood development, and human sexuality. Freud explored the inner life of children developing into adulthood by reviving mythological stories of incest, brutality, and obsessive self-love: The Oedipus Complex and the Electra Complex, both variations on the theme of destructive love, murdering the same-sex parent and marrying the opposite parent, and narcissism, destructive love of self, vividly allegorized the perils of the journey to adulthood. Freud approached treating neuroses with a new method he termed psychoanalysis. From the psychoanalytic point of view, the expectation of dysfunction is assumed, in varying degrees, as virtually all individuals experience at least minimal trauma during their development. Freud acknowledged that the very process of growing apart from a parent, notably the mother whose body conceived and sustained the dependent child, is an inherently anxious process, poignantly observing â€Å"Anxiety in children is nothing more than an expression of the fact that they are feeling the loss of the person they love† (101). Maturation not only involves vulnerability, it also requires it, as it is built into the process of differentiation. As the child grows, he relates himself to the external world through different organs or â€Å"erotogenic zones† (oral, anal, and genital).Show MoreRelatedThe Mythology Of The Greek Mythology1438 Words   |  6 Pagessexual desires toward the opposite sex parent (boys to mothers and girls to fathers). For boys, this is called the Oedipus complex, involving a boy s desire for his mother and his urge to replace his father who is seen as a rival for the mother’s attention. At the same time, the boy is afraid his father will punish him for his feelings, so he experiences castration anxiety. The Electra complex, later proposed by Freud’s protà ©gà © Carl Jung, involves a girl s desire for her father s attention and wishRead MoreThe Oedipus And Electra Complexes : The Father Of Psychoanalysis945 Words   |  4 Pagesand became known as the father of Psychoanalysis. In this essay, I will convey my views on Freud’s credibility and his failed claims of the Oedi pus and Electra complexes, as well as his achievement in fathering the Psychological and Psychotherapeutic theories of Psychoanalysis. Consequently, with all of the controversy stemming from the Oedipus and Electra complexes, Freud had many problems with other individual’s beliefs that were against his claims and rarely let anyone discuss with him aboutRead MoreEssay on Inside the Head of Sigmund Freud1568 Words   |  7 Pagesclinical process of psychoanalysis, which treated psychopathology by using the â€Å"talking cure†. The talking cure is best known as a one to one talk between the patient and the doctor. He is also known for his radical and complex theories such as the Oedipus complex, and the Electra complex. His fields include neurology, philosophy, psychiatry, psychology, psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. Many question his authenticity since there is no proof or record of Freud holding a degree, more less a doctorate.Read MoreCritical Analysis of Freuds Theory of Personality907 Words   |  4 PagesLatency – the sex instinct is dominant 5. Genital – development of the sex role identity In the phallic stage Freud derived his best known complex, the Oedipus complex in males and the Electra complex in females. The Oedipus complex is when the boy is in love with his mother and fears castration if his father finds out about his fantasies. In the Electra complex the girl is in love with her father and desires to have a penis as a genital organ. Freud believed that dreams represent repressed desiresRead MoreSigmund Freud s Theory Of Development1000 Words   |  4 PagesThe conflict of this stage, and the most controversial, is the Oedipus and Electra Complex. The Oedipus Complex is â€Å"a desire for sexual involvement with the parent of the opposite sex and a sense of rivalry with the parent of the same sex,† (Oedipus complex. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oedipus%20complex ) much like Oedipus Rex in Greek Mythology. The Electra Complex is the same as the Oedipus Complex, but just refers to woman. This stage is controversial becauseRead MoreForeign Affairs by Allison Laurie1394 Words   |  6 Pagesto wave its influence over one’s actions during infancy, or as Freud interpreted the beginning of sexual desires in humans. Young males develop an Oedipus Complex or â€Å"attachment to the parent of the opposite sex accompanied by envious and aggressive feelings towards the pa rent of the same sex† (Dollof) and young females develop a similar Electra Complex. However, they are often prevented from acting on their desires due to fear of the same sex parent, or current mate of their object of attractionRead MorePsychoanalytic Theory And Freud s Theory Of Becoming A School Counselor873 Words   |  4 Pageselement I thought that is of value with this theory. Freud thought strongly that childhood experiences had influence on adult behavior. I am not sure if you have ever heard of the Oedipus complex and Electra complex? Well basically Freud believed that boys go through Oedipus complex and girls go through the Electra complex in which they have sexualized attraction of the opposite sex parent and the same-sex parent is visualized as a rival to his or her attraction (Newman Newman, 2015). Have you everRead MoreAnalysis Of One Flew Over The Cuckoo s Nest By Ken Kesey1498 Words   |  6 Pagesanal, phallic, latency and genital phase. Sometimes people ca n surpass these stages and grown to a fully mature adult, however, many people often retain some obsessions from specific stage and contribute to certain aspect of personality, such as Oedipus complex and difficulties in identify sexual identity. These stages will be further discussed in this paper, and its relation to the development of patients of the psychological institution of the book One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey. TheRead MoreThe Poetry Of An Author962 Words   |  4 Pageschosen the following texts 1962 -all except the last being 1963 : Papi , Ariel , Lady Lazarus, Thalidomide and mannequins of Munchen . In a lecture delivered by (NBC), the author talked about the voice of the poem as a girl who speaks with Electra complex. Her father died when she thought he was God. His case is more complicated than usual due to the fact that his father was a Nazi, and his mother, probably in Jewish part. The daughter, these two forces come together, paralyzed each other, andRead MoreThe Theory Of Oedipus Complex1469 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction The term Oedipal complex was initially used by Sigmund Freud as he developed a theory to explain the stages of psychosexual stages of development in an attempt to explain or describe the boy child feelings of attraction to the mother and anger and envy towards the father (Fear, 2005). Basically, the boy may feel like he is competing with the father for the belonging and possession of the mother. The boy sees the father as a threat for her affections, desires and attentions. In terms