The Oedipus Complex Definition

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Research on Oedipus complex
The Oedipus complex Theory
The Articles Review based on Freud’s Oedipus complex
Conclusion
References

Introduction

The Oedipus complex is a psychological phenomenon introduced by Freud after the mythical character Oedipus known as the killer of his father in order to marry his mother. Freudian psychoanalysis identified the complex under consideration as the one which is related to children of three-five years. The Oedipus complex is considered to be analyzed through the view of various cultures; this is the main reason why this phenomenon underwent a lot of interpretations. The Freudian school contributed a lot to the research of the psychological processes of children. The development of Freudian conception resulted in changes in Oedipus complex meaning and impact within the psychology; the form of the Oedipus complex may vary depending on the culture, but in general, this complex is global characterizing all aspects of human behavior at the early stages of their development.

Research on Oedipus complex

The analysis of the Oedipus complex was disclosed by many scientists and medicals. T6his phenomenon means the desire of the child to be with a parent of the opposite sex killing the one of the same sex. Freud identified different poles of the complex: the positive and negative ones. So, the positive pole discloses the desire of parent’s death and hatred to this parent of the same sex, at the same time the child expresses love and strong attachment to the parent of the opposite sex. As to the negative pole of the complex, it is aimed at the death wish of the opposite sex parent showing love to the parent of the same sex. Modern psychology does not perceive this complex as pathology but just a quite normal step in children’s development and psychological formation.

The variability of the complex perception is dependant on the particular culture developed in the society. Oedipus complex is especially centralized by Western cultures. According to Freud, this complex can be considered a key element in the development of gender identity and roles. He stated that the conflicts of boys and girls lied in penis envy and castration anxiety. The consequences of the Oedipus complex sufferings can be different; for example, such phenomena as pedophilia, neurosis, and homosexuality can be developed. According to the interpretations of the Oedipus complex by many scholars, this phenomenon went through different stages of formation and development in the society:

At the beginning of the complex identification it was named as “Oedipus” but not Oedipus complex;
The state of neurosis was initially named by Freud as nuclear complex, and only later Oedipus complex;
The considerations of incestuous wishes towards the mother and the father;
The notion of “Complete Oedipus complex“ was used in psychology; Freud makes bisexuality and identification considerations more evident in his works;
The development of Oedipus theory and its introduction to the religion and culture;
The concentration on the females’ sufferings of Oedipus complex (Jacques, 1999)

The Oedipus complex is considered to relate to some unconscious process covering the desire cathexes and relation identification to the parents. The analysis of the way out of the Oedipus complex led to the argument that this phenomenon can be excluded through tensions resolving which result from subconscious processes implementation. The Oedipus complex processes can be substituted through the following phases:

Resolution;
Transformation;
Identifications and cathexes.

The Oedipus complex is closely connected with the one of castration. This complex can be expressed in various forms depending on the child’s gender. According to the Freudian perspective, the theory of this complex can be understood regarding the primacy of penis and phallus taking into account both sexes. So, the father for the little boy is perceived as the real threat of castration; as for the girls the case is more complicated – the mother is perceived as the person depriving the girl of the penis. The differences discussed are very important for the configurations of the Oedipus complex underlining the gender peculiarities; thus, for the boy castration means the final stage and complete crisis of the Oedipus complex as a result of maternal object forbiddance, while for the girls this stage is considered to be the initial point in her involvement into the Oedipus complex (Piret, 2005).

As it was stated by Freud the function of the prohibitory character of the father is considered to be complexity obliteration for both sexes. It is a false view that only the father is the castration agent performing the forbidding role, but the mother acts in the same way. The Freudian theory stated that parents, in general, are the agents of this complex suffered by their children; the parents can be even substituted. Nevertheless, Freud managed to highlight the possible ways out of the Oedipus complex underlining its destructive power. He meant that only suppression and destruction of the Oedipus complex by the little boys are the motivators fulfilled under the pressure of castration threat. Freud noted that the Oedipus complex is usually integrated into the form of ego transforming in super-ego. He manages to prove that in most ideal cases the Oedipus complex cannot exist in the subconscious; this is explained by the fact that the super-ego has transformed the complex heir. In the case of incomplete complex destruction, it can be expressed through various symptoms of psychopathological characteristics.

The Oedipus complex Theory

The theory of Freud was based on the self-analysis material and some anthropological studies for the purpose of super-ego formation explanation. The standardized paradigm of the children’s psychological analysis is concentrated on the mother’s selection and her presentation as a libidinal investment object. The result of such a position is the father’s anger, so the most appropriate way out is considered to be castration. Freud’s theory also contributed to the development of the males’ Oedipus complex. Freud argued that females also suffer the Oedipus complex, but this complex is usually expressed in the form of homosexual desires of little girls to their mothers; these were initial stages of complex development. Thus, we can state that the Oedipus complex experienced by females is far more sophisticated than that of males’.

Father’s rules are internalized by the infant; so, as a result, the super-ego is expressed. Father usually performs the role of identification figure because the child is eager to keep the penis, but in such cases, the child resigns from a desire to take his mother transforming his libidinal attention and concentrating on new desirable objects. Freud’s theory of the Oedipus complex is considered to be the disclosure of the psychological structure of children’s mentality.

The Articles Review based on Freud’s Oedipus complex

James Fernandez in the article The Shaka Complex tried to focus on childhood determinism and Freud’s aspects concerning the development of cultural and family life in society. The article is devoted to the special case of the Shaka complex. It discloses the panorama of life difficulties. Freud considered that psychic price was repaid by people for their rights to be brought up by opposite sex who relates to older and wiser generations. He stated that various forms of agonies faced in family life at the early stages of human development are called the Oedipus complex. The article discloses the peculiarities of African culture study through the aspects of the complex analysis. The argument concerned the nature of Freud’s complex in order to disclose fact whether it can describe all humanity despite the nation and origin. The problem is that living conditions and national peculiarities of Western cultures cannot influence the formation of the child’s psychological state and his attachment to the opposite sex parent. The author of the article tried to show that the family structure in West cultures differs from the non-western one. It is connected with the fact that the disciplinarian in the family is not the father or this role is performed by additional help. So, taking into account the peculiarities of multicultural development it should be noted that the Oedipus complex must be identified as a global phenomenon because it recognizes general lines of family forces and can be spread within the great majority of cultures simultaneously. The article discloses the characteristic features of the African family on the example of the Shaka complex. It is presented as a symbolic statement of showing African agonies in the family life (Fernandez, 1967).

Fitz John Poole managed to disclose principal features of a psychoanalytic anthropology conceptualization in the work Personal Experience and Cultural Representation in Children’s “Personal Symbols”… The author tried to focus on the theoretical articulation of psychological, social, and cultural contexts shaping human experience in a cultural environment. Anthropological debates discussed in the work are devoted to Freud’s theoretical issues and individual cultural experience. The Oedipus complex is shown as the reflection of cultural consciousness and children’s realization in the family. The work is based on the psychoanalysis of anthropological discourse. (Poole, 2005)

Conclusion

The analysis of Freud’s Oedipus complex has shown that this phenomenon cannot be perceived by psychologists as pathology but as a part of individual children’s mental and physical development. Nevertheless, this complex may vary from culture to culture taking into account social structure and family evolution. The rate of the Oedipus complex development within the society is high, but as it was stated by Freud, this phenomenon just characterizes the nature of human behavior analyzing it at the initial stages of mental and physical development. Nowadays the study of Freud’s Oedipus complex is popular among scientists for the purpose of identification of psychological conditions of children and the ways they are attached to their parents.

References

Fernandez, J. 1967. The Shaka Complex. WEB Du Bois Institute.
Poole, J.P. 1987. Personal Experience and Cultural Representation in Children’s “Personal Symbols” among Bimin-Kuskusmin. American Anthrop[ological Association.
Piret, B. 2005. From the Myth of Oedipus to the Myth of the Decline of the Father: A Current Controversy in Psychoanalysis.
Jacques, J.S. 1999. Freud: Conflict and Culture. New York.

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The Oedipus Complex Definition

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