The electra complex

• during the phallic stage of psychosexual development (roughly between ages 3-6), a girl unconsciously cultivates a sexual attraction towards her father, viewing her mother as a competitor
• In essence, the girl covets her father, yet recognizes that she lacks a penis, leading to the phenomenon Freud labeled as ‘penis envy‘ and a subsequent wish to be male
• This girl then ostensibly resolves her dilemma by repressing her desire for her father and replacing her yearning for a penis with a longing for a baby
• During this process, the girl purportedly blames her mother for her ‘castrated state,’ generating significant tension
• In order to alleviate this tension, she then represses her feelings and begins to identify with her mother, thereby adopting a traditional female gender role