The Oedipus Complex. Mum, I Love You

The Oedipus complex is a concept of psychoanalysis by Z. Freud. It is named after the hero of the ancient Greek tragedy King Oedipus, who, without knowing it, killed his own father and married his own mother; when he learned the truth, he blinded himself. For similar experiences in girls, Jung introduced the concept of the “Electra complex.” According to Freud, a boy experiences sexual attraction toward his own mother and desires to remove his father as a rival (the positive Oedipus complex). Unable to get rid of his father, the boy identifies with him—adopting the traits of adult male behavior, as well as a system of moral instructions and prohibitions present in the adult, which from now on become part of his personality. There is also the opposite desire: to replace his father with his mother as the object of desire (the negative Oedipus complex). This term became one of the central concepts in psychoanalysis. The most famous psychoanalysts of the world explain how it develops, what it leads to, and how different patients experience it. In PDF A4 format, the publishing layout is preserved.