Oedipus complex and Electra complex
1. Oedipus complex (Castration Complex): The term Oedipus complex
refers to a boy’s affectional response and sexual attachment to his mother and rivalry
with the father. It is named a Greek mythological character Oedipus, who kills
his father and marries his mother unknowingly. According to Freud, during the phallic
stage of psycho-sexual development, a boy considers his father as a rival for
his mothers love. The boy experiences castration anxiety through his
fear of being deprived of the male sex organ by his father. He resolves his
anxiety by identifying with his father. This love of the boy for the mother and
resentment against the father is known as Oedipus complex.
2. Electra complex (Deprivation Complex): In
Freudian psychology, the term Electra Complex refers to a girl’s sexual
attachment to the father and rivalry with the mother. It is named after a Greek
story of princess Elecra (daughter of Agamemnon) who helped her brother to kill
their mother and her lover. During the phallic stage of psychosexual
development, a girl develops a feeling in her mind that she has been deprived
of the male organ by her mother. She identifies herself with the mother and considers
the mother as rival to her father’s love. This love of the girl for the father and
her resentment against the mother is called Electra complex
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