Grandfather Freud was a genius who argues, but not all of his theories are approved by psychologists. Here, for example, the Oedipus complex and the Electra complex, these phenomena still cause a lot of controversy and censure, most psychoanalysts recognize the existence of such stages of human development, but make amendments, introducing their elements or redistributing existing ones. Let's see what causes such disagreements in Freud's theory.
Oedipus complex and the Electra Freud complex
The concept of the Oedipus complex was introduced into psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud in 1910. Initially, this term denoted the stages of psychosexual development, both in boys and girls. Later, K. Jung proposed to use the name "Electra complex" to designate this process for girls.
- Oedipus complex in boys. The name of this phenomenon was given because of its similarity to the ancient Greek myth of King Oedipus, in which he, killing his father, takes his mother Jocastu as his wife. The understanding of this complex came to Freud during the self-examination carried out after the death of his father. After based on research, Freud described the concept of the Oedipus complex, which was this. The boy feels a sexual attraction to his mother, and to the father feels jealous, considering him a competitor. These motivations the child tries to hide because he expects from his father punishment in the form of castration. Over time, the fear of castration promotes the formation of a Super-Ego child, which suppresses the sexual desire for the mother, and the child begins to try to be like his father.
- Complex Electra. According to Freud, girls also first experience sexual attraction to their mother, but the situation changes at the age of 2-3 years. Finding in her absence of the penis, the girl begins to hate the mother for having given birth to her "inferior". Because of the so-called envy of the penis, the girl experiences an envious affection for her father. Its inferiority, it corrects the desire to have a child. Jung was not quite in agreement with the theory of the Oedipus complex in girls, therefore he introduced his own corrections and called this phenomenon the Elektra complex, after the heroine of the ancient Greek myth. K. Jung believed that the girl feels a sexual attraction to her father, treating her mother as a rival.
Criticism of the Electra complex
- Specialists can not provide any statistical data that would indicate the existence of such complexes, they can not be proved scientifically. Moreover, skeptics say that the development of the concept of the Oedipus complex (and hence the Electra complex) was based on Freud's self-analysis, and not on real observations of patients.
- Many doubt the existence of child sexuality, because hormones responsible for sexual desire, begin to be actively developed only in the puberty period.
- Most of the criticism of Freud's philosophy evokes in feminists, who consider the concept of envy of the penis the product of a patriarchal society, to whom it was profitable to see a woman impotent and inferior.
What threatens the complex Electra?
Today this complex is considered by psychoanalysis in a broader sense, rather than suggested by Freud. But nevertheless it is recognized that girls really fight with their mother for the attention and love of their father. This happens if the child is too spoiled, or the girl rarely sees her father and lacks attention.
In adult life, the Electra complex can seriously interfere with the girl. She, wishing to please her father, will study well, try hard
It is sad, but the parents of the child are responsible for the formation of the Electra complex. If the relationship in the family is harmonious, then this complex will disappear, and not showing itself completely.