Oedipus Complex
Definition
A theory proposed by Sigmund Freud that suggests a child's feelings of desire for their opposite-sex parent and jealousy and rivalry with their same-sex parent.
Analogy
Imagine you're at a party and there's only one slice of cake left. You want it, but so does your best friend. This situation is similar to the Oedipus complex where the child wants exclusive attention from the opposite-sex parent (the cake), but feels competition from the same-sex parent (the best friend).
Related terms
Psychosexual Development: The series of stages that children go through on their path to sexual maturity, as theorized by Freud.
Electra Complex: The female counterpart to the Oedipus complex, characterized by a girl's psychosexual competition with her mother for possession of her father.
Identification: In psychology, this refers to the process where an individual assimilates an aspect, property or attribute of another person and is influenced by this person’s characteristics or traits.
"Oedipus Complex" appears in:
Study guides (3)
Practice Questions (1)
- How does Adler's Individual Psychology challenge Freud's focus on the Id and the Oedipus complex?
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