What Is the Oedipus Complex?
It is only natural for us to love our mothers. After all, they do carry as from the day of conception, bring us into the world, and care for us. It is also a relationship that will usually last for well into the mother’s old age. What is not normal, however, is for children to have any form of sexual relationships with their mothers.
Of course, sexual relationships with parents is not a good thing because it can lead to inbreeding. This is usually prevented by the way we develop which prevents parents and children from developing a sexual attraction to each other. The Oedipus complex, however, is a supposed condition in which boys are sexually attracted to their mothers.
1. The Westermarck Effect
Many of us have siblings that are considered to be very attractive sexually. It doesn’t matter how sexually attractive other people might consider them to be, siblings will rarely share the same sentiment. Siblings are usually able to recognize a sibling is attractive, however, they just aren’t attracted to them sexually themselves. The Westermarck effect is a proposed phenomenon that causes people to avoid becoming sexually attracted to people they grew up with from a young age. Likewise, siblings, parents and children that were separated from a young age may well end up being sexually attracted to each other if they meet at a later stage.
2. Freud Coined The Term
Sigmund Freud is considered by many to be the founder of modern psychology. He took an approach to psychology like nobody had ever before and set the basis for a lot of today’s understanding of how the mind works. A lot of what he thought has been shown to be faulty, but still his work proved to be a platform from which others could make progress.
It was Freud that first coined the term ‘Oedipus complex’. He named the phenomena after Oedipus, a mythical Greek King who married his own mother after killing his father. He goes on to suggest that it is a natural part of growing up and is important for a son to grow to be well mentally.
3. Discomfort With Intimacy Between Parents
It is quite normal for parents to continue to be intimate with each other after they have had children together. It is a good thing because it helps to maintain the bond between the two, something that is beneficial for the children, provided it is done appropriately, of course.
One signal that a boy is experiencing the Oedipus complex is that he shows discomfort when his parents show intimacy toward each other. This might mean expressing their displeasure at the parents kissing or hugging, or maybe just holding hands. Again, while parents showing affection to each other is OK, it is best to do so with respect to other people around them.
4. Getting In Between Parents
Children like to be spending time with their parents and, in their younger years, they tend to be closer to closer to their mothers than they are to their fathers. Being with both parents is often even better, after all, it is twice the fun, but boys may not always be comfortable with both parents being together.
Some boys will have a habit of wanting to get in between their parents, especially when they are kissing or hugging. When the family goes out for a meal together, boys might sometimes want to keep their parents separated by sitting in between them at the table.
5. Sleeping In-Between Parents
Lots of kids will sometimes want to sleep in their parent’s beds with them at night. This is often because they are afraid of thunder and other noises, or maybe whatever monsters are hiding under the bed. At other times, they just want to be closer to their parents, or maybe their parent’s bed is warmer and more comfortable.
In cases of the Oedipus complex, however, a boy is likely to want to get between his parents for other reasons. The main reason being that he simply wants to get in between his parents to keep his father away from his mother.
6. Challenges Father’s Authority
It is quite normal for a lot of children to misbehave and not listen to what their parents are telling them. In a sense it is a good sign because it shows that they are inquisitive and adventurous, but parents will still want to keep them under some degree of control, for obvious reasons.
When it comes to boys, some might be more likely to challenge their father than their mother, and this could be down to the Oedipus complex. They might be constantly trying to challenge their father’s authority and chatting back at every opportunity. It can be difficult to deal with in some instances.
7. Psycho
Examples of the Oedipus complex can be found in literature and even on the big screen. Psycho is one example and is one of the most famous thriller horror movies ever made. The movie features Marion Crane who stays the night at the Bates Motel, which is being managed by Norman Bates.
Bates would regularly speak with his mother, although she was not actually seen. It turns out that he had already killed his mother in a fit of jealous rage over her relationship with a new man in her life, Joe Considine. Bates developed dissociated identity disorder and adopted the identity of his mother, an alter ego which would go on to kill Marion Crane and others.
8. The Grifters
The grifters, produced by Martin Scorsese, is a movie about three people that are con-artists. The main character is Lilly Dillon and the other main characters are Roy, her estranged son, and Myra Langtry, Roy’s new girlfriend. After an 8-year absence, Lilly goes to see her son Roy, only to find him in pain after being attacked by somebody he attempted to scam.
She tries to encourage him to quit scamming but he refuses. Myra meets her boyfriend’s mother and the two do not get along. Noticing the tension between them, Myra accuses Roy of having an incestuous affair with his mother, and it is noticeable how the two leading female characters are competing with each other.
9. Hallam Foe (2007)
Hallam Foe is a British drama that was released in 2007. It follows Hallam Foe, a 17-year old boy who has a treehouse from which he likes to spy on other people. The treehouse has an enormous photograph of his mother who has died. Foe lives with his father and his stepmother, whom he blames for the death of his mother.
He holds hatred towards his stepmother but the two end up having sex, helping to diffuse the situation. Ashamed, he ends up moving to Edinburgh which is where he meets Kate, who is a spitting image of his deceased mother. He forms a relationship with Kate, largely because of her resemblance to his mother.
10. The Electra Complex
When mentioning the Oedipus complex, you might also sometimes be reminded of the Electra complex. The Electra complex is very similar to the Oedipus complex, except for one very significant difference. Instead of it being a matter of boys being attracted to the mothers, it is girls being attracted to their fathers.
It is often thought the Freud coined the term, but that credit actually goes to another famous psychiatrist, Carl Jung. The condition is again named after a Greek mythological character Electra. Electra and her brother plotted to kill their mother, Clytemnestra, and their stepfather, Aegisthus, for the murder of their father, Agamemnon.
