Oedipus Complex

Definition

A theory proposed by Sigmund Freud that suggests a child's feelings of desire for their opposite-sex parent and jealousy and rivalry with their same-sex parent.

Related terms

Psychosexual Development: The series of stages that children go through on their path to sexual maturity, as theorized by Freud.

Electra Complex:

The female counterpart to the Oedipus complex, characterized by a girl's psychosexual competition with her mother for possession of her father.

Identification:

In psychology, this refers to the process where an individual assimilates an aspect, property or attribute of another person and is influenced by this person’s characteristics or traits.