the Oedipus conflict

• according to FREUD the mother is the primary love object for both boys and girls
• for 3 year old boys, the love for their mother becomes lust, giving them an Oedipus complex
• in the Oedipus complex, the boy develops a passionate desire for his mother
• conflict arises because bots want to possess their mother for themselves but see their father as a rival who stands in their way
• the boy will become jealous of the father and hold hostility towards the father who they wish dead
• what's castration anxiety in the Oedipus complex?


  boys fearing the father discovering their desire for their mother and punish them by removing their penis
• the conflict for boys is between their lust for mother and fear towards father
• the boy resolves the complex by identifying with his father and internalising them into their psyche

  • leads to development of their super-ego and their gender identity
• what's identification?


  the process where a child associates themselves with their same sex parent and acquires their characteristics
• what's internalisation?


  when the child incorporates the characteristics of the same sex parent into their own psyche