Oedipus complex

American  

[ed-uh-puhs kom-pleks, ee-duh-] / ˈɛd ə pəs ˌkɒm plɛks, ˈi də- /

Also Oedipal complex

noun

Psychoanalysis.

1. an unconscious sexual desire directed toward a parent of a different gender, especially by a son toward his mother, usually originating in childhood and expressed through rivalry with the other parent.

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Oedipus complex British  

noun

1. psychoanal a group of emotions, usually unconscious, involving the desire of a child, esp a male child, to possess sexually the parent of the opposite sex while excluding the parent of the same sex Compare Electra complex

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Oedipus complex Cultural  

1. In Freudian theory, the unconscious desire of a young child for sexual intercourse with the parent of the opposite sex, especially between boys and their mothers (see genital stage). Followers of the psychologist Sigmund Freud long believed that the Oedipus complex was common to all cultures, although many psychiatrists now refute this belief. The Oedipus complex is named after the mythical Oedipus, who unwittingly killed his father and married his mother.

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Other Word Forms

• oedipal adjective

Etymology

Origin of Oedipus complex

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

Sigmund Freud no doubt would have chalked up Macbeth’s problems here to his unresolved Oedipus complex.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2024

Just one century after he described the Oedipus complex, an entire generation of dads are waging an unconscious war on the King Creon within.

From Forbes • Jun. 3, 2013

While Freud spoke of incestuous passions in his infamous Oedipus complex, Jung had a very different point of view.

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2011

In Electra – the title a reference to the female version of the Oedipus complex – Marianne Faithfull doesn't even recognise her own face, her ravaged drawl pleading: "Tell me, tell me, who is she?"

From The Guardian • Jan. 27, 2011

In consequence of the irresistible advance towards a unification of mental life they come together at last; and the normal Oedipus complex originates from their confluence.

From Group Psychology and The Analysis of The Ego by Freud, Sigmund