The Oedipus Complex is a psychoanalytic theory that was developed by Sigmund Freud. What it is, is a sexual desire for a parent of the opposite sex, sparking a sense of rivalry with the parent of the same sex. For example, a young boy who has a desire for his mother and, as a result, feels a sense of jealousy, competition or general rivalry with his father. The term Oedipus Complex was derived from the Greek legend Oedipus, who unknowingly murdered his father and married his mother, whom he had children with.
This theory may sound crazy, but to me it makes sense. Although I wouldn't see this theory being very plausible to the extent that a child would have a sexual desire for one of their parents, but I can see it however, being applied on a smaller scale. A child may crave the attention of one of their parents so it makes sense that they would feel jealous of the other parent if they were receiving more attention then them.
In my opinion this theory is not very practical because children are not interested in sexuality. Seeing children in kindergarten and grade 1 all they do is play and sleep. They have no reason to be jealous of their father or mother if they are raised properly. Some children do prefer one parent over the other although in many cases it is because one is more lenient, it is not a matter of jealousy.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to your conclusion, in my point of view, the essence of Oedipus Complex is similarity and complementation.
ReplyDeleteSimilarity means that a boy is similar to his father. They are both male and the boy will learn his father’s personality to be better and more attractive to his mother as he grows up. He wants to take the role of his father and marry his mother.
Complementation is that the boy relies on and loves his mother. We always could see examples. A little boy will cry if his mother leaves him.
It is not crazy because that is nature. As Mathew said, if they are raised properly, this kind of feelings would be taken place by the love between peers.