The Oedipus complex, a term derived from the Greek mythical character Oedipus is a term used in the field of psychoanalysis of the human mind. The following text will deal with both the myth underlying this theory, as well as its application in classical psychoanalysis.
Myth
The myth of Oedipus is set in Ancient Greece, where Laius, king of Thebse, and his wife Jocasta turned to the oracle of Delphi in their desire to have a child. The oracle did foresee a son, but it also saw that it was the son who would kill Laius. According to the oracle, such would be the fulfillment of a curse directed towards Laius, for his abduction of another king's son.
Laius and Jocasta were indeed granted a child, and, fearing the prophecy, decided to leave their son a foundling on a nearby mountain. They had his feet pinned together to ensure that he could not crawl. The shepherd appointed the task to dispose the boy in the mountains, however, did not have the heart to do so. Instead, he gave the child to another shepherd, and then to another. A shepherd under the king of Corinth, Polybus, took the infant boy to his wife. They called him Oedipus, for his "swollen feet", but they were too poor to take the boy into their family. The shepherd took the child to Polybus' court, where the childless king and queen, Merope, adopted him. As he grew up, Oedipus thought himself the biological child of Polybus and Merope.
This changed, however, when rumors reached Oedipus that he was not, in fact, Polybus' son. To find confirmation, Oedipus left for the oracle of Delphi. The oracle did not answer his question in a direct fashion, instead stating: "You shall be the murderer of your own father, and you shall marry your mother, bringing forth detestable descendants." In an attempt to escape this destiny, Oedipus decided never to return to his (alleged) parents' court, still thinking of Polybus and Merope as his father and mother. Thebes seemed to him a good destination, and he set off. On the road, the driver of a carriage asked him to stand back, so as to let to cart go first. This brought Oedipus -bitter about his leaving- to a fury, and as they fought, Oedipus killed the old driver- who, although he had no idea, was none other than king Laius himself. Except for a servant who fled, all companions in the chariot were killed as well. Unwittingly Oedipus had thus fulfilled the first part of his prophecy, but he forgot the event rather quickly and moved on towards Thebes.
At the time, the city of Thebes was being terrorized by a sphinx, a monster that sat in front of the city gates. She tested anyone who wished to enter the city by giving them a riddle, and devoured those people who could not answer her. Jocasta, still the Queen of Thebes and widow to the late Laius, promised -in desperation- that whoever could free the city from this monster would be granted the King's crown and was to be married to the Queen as a reward. Oedipus entered Thebes just when this was announced. As for everyone, the sphinx had her riddle at the ready for Oedipus: "Which creature in the morning goes on four legs, at mid-day on two, and in the evening on three; and the more legs it has, the weaker it be?" The answer, which Oedipus found soon enough, was the following: Man, who crawls on all fours as a baby, and walks around on his two feet in his prime, but who uses a cane with old age. The sphinx, who was angered and ashamed, had to admit that Oedipus had answered her correctly. She threw herself off a rock into a deep abyss and died. Oedipus had thus saved Thebes from the monster that had been terrorizing the city, and as promised, was wed to Jokasta. They got four children together, and this sealed the second part of the oracle's prophecy: Oedipus married his own mother and had children with her.
The Oedipus Complex
Thus, the psychoanalytical term Oedipus complex is derived from the ancient myth as stated above. The central themes here are a son killing his father, and marrying his mother. The Oedipus complex assumes that children may have unconscious feelings where their parents are concerned. These central emotions are a son's love for his mother and anger towards his father.
According to Freud, every child has subconscious experience of these feelings at one point in its life- it is a universal phenomenon among children. This phase coincides with the sexual development of the child, when it is primarily focused on finding an object on which to project its feeling of desire. This object of desire might be a parent of the opposite sex, and in turn the parent answers this with parental love.
The feelings experienced by the child during this phase are not only of a loving and positive nature, as they are also hostile. Usually this is expressed in jealousy toward the parent of the same sex. It is this paradox that forms the complex, which influences the child on a subconscious level for a long time. According to Freud, "The early development of children's sexuality will disappear, because the desires that are experienced cannot be reconciled with reality. Besides, the development of the child is still inadequate. The disappearance of the complex is a painful and sad affair."
Sources: www.todio.nl
This is not what I'm searching for.
Homepage
Search
Subscribe
React
Report mistakes
Report abuse