According to Freud, a Girlã¢â‚¬â„¢s Wish to Be a Boy or to Have a Baby

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The Electra complex is a psychoanalytic term used to describe a girl's sense of competition with her mother for the angel of her father. It is comparable to the Oedipus circuitous in males.

According to Freud, during female psychosexual development, a young daughter is initially attached to her female parent. When she discovers that she does not have a penis, she becomes fastened to her begetter and begins to resent her mother, who she blames for her "castration."

As a consequence, Freud believed that the daughter so begins to identify with and emulate her mother out of fear of losing her love. Resolving the Electra complex ultimately leads to identification with the aforementioned-sexual activity parent.

History

While the term "Electra complex" is ofttimes associated with Sigmund Freud, it was actually Carl Jung who coined the term in 1913. The term is derived from the Greek myth of Electra and her brother Orestes, who plotted the decease of their mother equally revenge for their begetter's murder.

Freud developed the underlying ideas of the Electra circuitous, although he did non term information technology as such. Freud rejected the term and described information technology every bit an attempt "to emphasize the analogy between the attitude of the two sexes."

Freud referred to a daughter's tendency to compete with her mother for possession of her father every bit the feminine Oedipus mental attitude or the negative Oedipus circuitous. It was Jung who dubbed Freud'south feminine Oedipus attitude as the Electra complex.

Freud and Jung were originally shut friends and colleagues, but Jung increasingly grew dissatisfied with certain aspects of Freud'south theories. He felt that Freud emphasized the role sexuality played in motivating human being beliefs. Eventually, Jung resigned from his psychoanalytic affiliations and anger grew between the 2 men.

How Does the Electra Complex Work?

According to Freudian theory, an important part of the developmental process is learning to identify with the same-sex parent. During the stages of Freud'due south theory of psychosexual development, the libidinal energy is focused on different erogenous zones of the child's body.

If something goes wrong during any of these stages, a fixation at that point in development might occur. A fixation is a persistent focus on an earlier psychosexual stage. Such fixations, Freud believed, oft led to feet and played a role in neurosis and maladaptive behaviors in machismo.

Freud described the feminine Oedipus attitude circuitous as a daughter'southward longing for her father and competition with her mother. The daughter possesses an unconscious desire to replace her female parent as her father'southward sexual partner, thus leading to a rivalry betwixt girl and female parent.

The Electra circuitous is thought to take identify during the phallic phase of psychosexual evolution, ages iii to vi, during which time daughters spend more than time with their fathers, flirting and practicing sexual behaviors without sexual contact. Freud did admit that he knew less about the development of niggling girls than little boys.

A number of defense mechanisms play a role in resolving the Electra complex. It is the fundamental id (a component of personality nowadays from nascency) that compels the kid to possess her male parent and compete with her female parent. To resolve the conflict, these urges and desires must first be repressed from conscious memory.

Freud also suggested that when a immature daughter discovers she does not have a penis, she develops "penis envy" and begins to resent her mother for "sending her into the world so insufficiently equipped."

Eventually, this resentment leads the daughter to identify with her mother and incorporate many of the same personality characteristics into her ego. This process also allows the daughter to internalize her mother's morality into her super-ego, which ultimately directs her to follow the rules of her parents and society.

Freud believed that information technology was this process that likewise leads children to accept their gender roles, develop an agreement of their own sexuality, and even form a sense of morality.

A Give-and-take From Verywell

The Electra complex is non widely accepted amidst mental health professionals today, who often view Freud's ideas about psychosexual development equally outdated and sexist since they rely on century-erstwhile gender roles. That said, research does testify that children acquire about gender roles and sexuality from their parents.

If you lot're concerned about your child'southward sexualized behavior, a mental health professional tin conduct an assessment. They tin can then brand handling recommendations to address whatsoever sexual behavior problems. Look for handling options in your surface area for traditional face-to-face treatment or consider an online therapy plan.

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Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how nosotros fact-cheque and continue our content authentic, reliable, and trustworthy.

• Freud S. Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality. Basic Books; 1962.

• Jung CG. The Theory of Psychoanalysis. Psychoanalytic Review. 1913;1:ane-40.

• Scott J. Electra Afterwards Freud: Myth and Culture. Cornell University Printing; 2005.

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Source: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-electra-complex-2795170