The term "oedipal loves" is often misspelled as "Oedipus loves", due to its association with the Greek myth of Oedipus. However, the correct spelling is with an "e" and not a "u". The word "Oedipal" comes from the name of the ancient Greek king Oedipus, who unknowingly killed his father and married his mother. The correct IPA phonetic transcription of "oedipal" is /ˈɛdəpəl/, with emphasis on the first syllable. The term "oedipal loves" refers to a psychological complex where a person feels an attraction towards their parent of the opposite sex.
Oedipal love, also known as the Oedipus complex, is a psychological concept derived from Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theories. It refers to the unconscious, instinctual desire that children, typically between the ages of three and five, experience towards the parent of the opposite sex. In the classical Oedipal love scenario, a young boy develops feelings of affection, admiration, and attraction for his mother, while simultaneously harboring feelings of competition, jealousy, and aggression towards his father, whom he perceives as a rival for his mother's love and attention.
The term "Oedipal love" takes its name from the Greek myth of Oedipus, who unknowingly killed his father and married his mother. Freud believed that this mythology symbolized a universal psychic conflict that occurs during childhood development.
Oedipal love, therefore, encompasses a complex mix of emotions and desires that may manifest differently across individuals and cultures. While it typically resolves naturally with the child's development, unresolved or repressed Oedipal feelings can potentially influence an individual's attitudes and behaviors in adulthood, particularly regarding their choice of romantic partners and relationships.
It is worth noting that Oedipal love is not a normative behavior or attraction but rather a developmental stage that Freud believed all children go through. Contemporary psychoanalytic thought has expanded on this concept, and it is now considered within a broader context of human attachment, family dynamics, and sexual development.
The word "oedipal" originates from the Greek mythological character Oedipus, who is the central figure in the ancient Greek tragedy "Oedipus Rex" written by Sophocles. In the myth, Oedipus unknowingly kills his father and marries his mother, fulfilling a prophecy. The term "Oedipal complex" was coined by Sigmund Freud, the renowned Austrian psychologist, to refer to a psychological phenomenon related to unresolved childhood desires or conflicts.
Freud argued that during the psychosexual development of a child, there exists a stage called the "Oedipal stage", occurring from around the ages of 3 to 5. According to Freud, during this stage, children experience subconscious sexual desires and rivalries toward the parent of the opposite sex, while experiencing jealousy and hostility toward the parent of the same sex.