The Oedipus Complex Flashcards
In the Oedipus complex what do boys develop
In the Oedipus complex, boys develop incestuous feelings towards their mother and a jealous, murderous hatred towards their fathers who stand in the way of their mother. However, as they can see that the father is more powerful, they fear castration by the father because of their feelings towards their mother leading to castration anxiety. To resolve the conflict, boys will give up their love for mother and identity with their father.
What case study did Freud use as evidence?
As evidence, Freud used the case study Little Hans. He argued that Han’s apparent fear of horses in fact stemmed from his fear of castration, which had been transferred through the unconscious defence mechanism of “displacement”.
