Sigmund Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory The Oedipus Complex is one of the most influential and controversial theories of the twentieth century. Freud coined the term Oedipus complex to refer to a stage in children's development. He felt that in early development, around age five, boys long to have all of their mother's love, so jealousy leads them to resent and even unconsciously wish for their father's death. However, the concept has significantly dominated the concept. People need to understand how this works because it shows why children of this age behave in a certain way. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Inspired by Sophocles' Oedipus Rex and his study of the mental actions of his patients, Sigmund Freud developed the concept of Oedipus. Freud argued that dreams were hindered by Oedipal impulses and that these desires were common to humanity. Opposition to the title of the concept is widespread as many assume that the meaning of Oedipus Rex is deeper than Freud claims. Sigmund Freud develops his complex through the substance of the work, shedding light on the tragic and inevitable prophecy of Oedipus. The famous psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud created the Oedipus complex. The complex explains Freud's theory on the psychosexual phases of childhood development, particularly of boys. This indicates the emotions of a boy's mother's lust and desire and his father's jealousy and envy. The boy sees his father as a competitor to win the love and affection of his mother (Cherry). Likewise, the Electra complex, a term coined by Freud's student Carl Gustav Jung, explains a similar idea of young girls competing for their father's affection with their mothers (Wiesen). However, Freud did not like this concept because it "seeks to emphasize the contrast between the mentality" of the two sexes (Cherry). He refers to the female version of his theory as the "female Oedipal mentality" and the "negative Oedipal system" (Freud, Sigmund Schlomo). Freud also delves into the sibling relationships of his theory. He believes that sibling relationships have no independent purpose outside of the Oedipus complex. Opposite-sex siblings serve as doppelgängers of parents, where a child may love his sister instead of his mother and vice versa, while same-sex siblings are competitors with each other, competing for their parents' attention. The mother gave birth to a second son, Julius, when Freud was about a year and a half old. Freud recalls his younger brother's feelings of resentment, which absorbed his family's attention. Less than a year later, Julius died, leaving Freud with a strong sense of guilt for the rest of his life. According to Freud, in the third stage of his five stages of psychosexual development, the Oedipus complex arises; the phallic phase, which occurs between 3 and 6 years. Of the five stages I: oral, (ii) vaginal, (iii) phallic, (iv) latent and (v) genital, the phallic stage focuses mainly on the genitals. The child unconsciously desires the parent of the opposite sex, but the boys are afraid that the father will punish them. This terror, known as castration anxiety, enables the boy to resist his mother's desire, and gradually the young male advances to the fourth stage; the latent stage. At this point the boy begins to bond with his father to indirectly manipulate his mother. On the other hand, a young girl experiences "penis envy", in which she condemns her mother's supposed castration. Freud believes that women remain somewhat trapped in the phallic phase unlike womentheir male counterparts, and never overcome their "penis envy". This theory is rejected and characterized by many psychologists, including Karen Horney, as misleading and condescending towards women. By suggesting that men experience “womb envy,” an unconscious longing for a womb (Freud, Sigmund Schlomo), he opposed the Freudian view of women. Sigmund Freud's creation of the Oedipus complex can be outlined in the six-stage chronology of his life. Freud felt compelled to learn more about his own psychology in Phase 1 (1897–1909), galvanized by his father's death in 1896. Freud began developing his theory after attending a performance of Oedipus Rex in the late 19th century . In phase 2 (1909-1914), Freud suggested the idea that all (Young's) neuroses are the "physical complex" of the Oedipus complex. The first use of the term 'Oedipus complex' also occurred in 1910, during one of his lectures at Clark University, Massachusetts (Burke). Phase 3 (1914-1918) is when Freud begins to examine incest between parents, concluding that we all have incestuous impulses that must be suppressed to become fully functional adults. The story of Oedipus is completed in phase 4 (1919-1926), and Freud applies his theory to religion and social norms in phase 5 (1926-1931). Freud examines the "feminine Oedipus nature" in the sixth and final phase (1931-1938), later known as the "Electra complex". Freud argues in his novel The Interpretation of Dreams that the Oedipus phenomenon is a universal mental event, peculiar to us and a source of our repressed, subconscious guilt. He developed it from the study of his patients' and his own psychological actions; especially dreams. He viewed dreams as wish fulfillments and embodiments of our innermost desires and fears, often involving secret childhood memories or fixations such as the Oedipus complex (Freud). The story of Oedipus is where his theory is mainly supported. Freud stated that the work was very popular due to its related content; ours could easily have been the harsh reality of Oedipus' fate. However, many are against the Oedipus complex. Psychotherapist Dr. Jeffrey B. Rubin argues that Freud "...misread Oedipus Rex, which does not explain the dynamics of Oedipus, and distorted its meaning in line with his philosophical preconceptions" (Rubin). In the play, the Oracle of Delphi tells Oedipus that he has been cursed to be "the slayer of the father who bore him" and "to defile his wife's bed." Oedipus leaves Corinth, unaware that Polybus and Merope are not his biological parents, as a means of escaping his fate. It indicates that Oedipus was trying to save his family by not sleeping with his mother and killing her son. Oedipus fought and killed Laius, his biological father, during his travels, and as a reward was offered the hand of Jocasta, who was also his biological mother. The oracle's prophecy has inevitably come true; however, it was not known to any of the characters. Freud consciously omitted from his theory two imperative facts concerning the work, according to Rubin: 'Oedipus Rex begins with parental aggression and abandonment, not with filial parricide or incestuous relations between a son and a mother. And the son with supposedly lustful impulses and violent tendencies tried to protect his parents and escape the very fate that Freud attributed to him' (Rubin). Freud deliberately ignored all other influences on the story and reinterpreted it as a tragic love triangle between a child and his family. Rubin argues that the true morality of Oedipus Rex lies in the depiction of humanity residing in disturbing and almost universal human behavior; 'the way we build.
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