mum
March 28, 2024

Parent-child: the complex of Oedipus in 10 questions

1 / What is the Oedipus complex? It's a step in the emotional development of thechild. First highlighted by Sigmund Freud, then taken up again by other psychoanalysts, the Oedipus complex marks the first impulses and desires of thechild.

2 / Where does the term come from? The Oedipus complex is named after the work of Sophocles, king dice. Remember, this masterpiece of classical tragedy features a young man, a dicep, who after being abandoned at birth is led to kill his father and marry his mother without knowing it.

3 / What are the signs? Thechild will tend to be attracted by the parent of the opposite sex and consider the other as both a model and a rival, explains Jean Claude Liaudet in his book Freud for parents : Practical and useful tips for educating your children. The stage of Oedipus can be translated into words or gestures, so thechild may try to seduce his parent through many hugs, kisses on the mouth or proclaiming that he wants to marry him later.

4 / Who is concerned? First used for little boys, the term extends to girls, now, and usually occurs between 3 and 7 years old.

5 / How to react? It is important that parents know how to frame and accompany thechild in this crucial step that can be more or less marked depending on the case. It is important to remind him of everyone's place in the family. Without scolding him or making him feel guilty, he must be able to find the words to explain to him that the love that unites his parents is a love different from that which is worn to him.

6 / At what age does the oedipidian complex stop? Around 6 or 7 years, the appearance at thechild a certain modesty marks the end of the Oedipus. Gone are the days when thechild He was walking around naked without embarrassment, he could even appear embarrassed to appear in underwear or pajamas.
7 / In what way is the oedipe a building block for the child? The Oedipus complex is one of the key moments in the construction of thechild, his personality and his future sexuality. It is partly during this inevitable moment that he realizes that his desires can not be expressed or fulfilled freely.

8 / How is this in families with atypical patterns? The Oedipus complex is initially based on the model of the nuclear family, whose household consists of a man and a woman. Which does not mean, however, that in a single parent family, homo parent or recomposed thechild will not be able to live his Eedipus and will be disturbed. Thechild will be able to find oneself there, even if to find possibly in his entourage an adult of the opposite sex like Oedipian partner.

9 / What is a poorly resolved oedipal? An oedipal is said to be "badly solved" when the parent did not know how to put a stop to it and maintained a relationship that was too fusional with thechild. This may result in neurotic behavior, and ambiguity in relationships as adults.

10 / What are the different phases of a "successful" oedipus? There is first the "phallic phase" where thechild become aware of his sexual organs and that corresponds to the moment when he tries to get closer to one of the parentsthen comes the "castration complex". Thechild Not getting what he wants expresses his dissatisfaction through many anger or nightmares. Finally, the conflict period gives way to the "resolution process", where thechild finally accept and repress his desires in his unconscious.



The Oedipus Complex (March 2024)