Lacan once said, in an unpublished seminar, “the Oedipus Complex is a dream of Freud” (Felman, 1034). It is a questionable theory and a so-called ‘dream’ because Sigmund Freud developed the Oedipus complex in such a way that allowed him to stand as an example of his own theory. It begins with what Freud would call ‘introspection’; the analysis of one’s self. He developed terms to use in his psychoanalysis; terms that divide the self and attempt to explain aspects of the human personality. Adding to the questionability of the theory is the category of myth with which the theory was named. The story of Oedipus happens to be one of the few Greek stories that do not fall under the sinful and incestuous category. Alternatively, the Theogony offers myths that do fall into the incestuous category and are ideal for Freud’s conception. By exploring Freud himself and dissecting the underlying myth, this paper will demonstrate that the legendary character of Oedipus did not possess the well-known complex named after him. Furthermore, it will demonstrate that there are many other myths with greater applicability to Freud’s ideas.
Freud developed the Oedipus complex through his therapeutic method of psychoanalysis. Though his concept was popular among his contemporary psychologists, it became important within the humanities because it provided an applicable motif for Greek mythology. Sigmund Freud advanced his ideas through analysis of his personal relationships with his family, his dreams, and his patients. He named it after Oedipus because Freud’s innermost desires paralleled the Oedipus’ actions: Oedipus killed his father and married his mother. Freud himself had admitted to having strong feelings for his mother and resentment toward hi...
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...re, it is an extremely controversial notion to say that reluctance to accept or deny an idea is proof that it occurred. It would mean that events and thoughts that do not belong to the individual are all of a sudden repressed ideas or wishes that the individual is being told are fact. Freud argues that everything Oedipus does in his tale is in order to marry his mother and kill his father. When looking at the story from the beginning, it is clear that Oedipus’ intentions are contrary to Freud’s theory. He is doing everything he can to avoid the fulfillment of the prophecy. An oracle tells him that he will commit these acts and, wanting to evade this, he leaves his home in Creon and travels to Thebes. By breaking down Freud and the Oedipus stories, it can be shown that although the Oedipus complex is applicable to many myths, the myth of Oedipus is not one of them.
The article “Some Psychological Consequences of the Anatomical Distinction between the Sexes” by Sigmund Freud focus on the difference between boys and girls and the consequences and impact the Oedipus complex and Penis envy. Freud studies the consequences and how boy and girls develop and move forward from this phase. It is to say that Freud has a strong point of view about this, and somehow this theory can come as masochism and has been criticizes by many feminist; but I cannot ignore the complexity and how his ideas are proper. But can we used this theories to understand the modernity if the society we live in.
Wilson, Sarah. "Sigmund Freud and the oedipal complex." The Observer”. Guardian News and Media, 8 Mar. 2009. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/mar/08/sigmund-freud-oedipal-complex>.
Sigmund Freud is known as the founding father of psychology. If it wasn’t for Freud and his work psychology probably wouldn’t be around today (Javel, 1999). Although Freud had many followers there were some who didn’t agree with his work and found his work to be very controversial. There were also many who criticized his work, one of his most controversial and criticized work was his psychosexual stages of development and his believes about the famous “Oedipus Complex.” Psychoanalysis is the first known modality used to treat individuals with psychological disorders. Freud’s work was a foundation for many whether they believed in his work or not. From his work other psychologist
The Oedipus complex is an interesting psychological concept. Sigmund Freud first started using the term “Oedipus complex” around 1910 referencing Oedipus Rex by ancient Greek tragedian Sophocles (Wikipedia.org). When introduced to society, the Oedipus complex was greeted by many people as somewhat controversial. The theory was expanded upon by Freud to include female children, as the original Oedipus complex only related to the male sex, by creating the term “feminine Oedipus attitude”, but the term would be forgotten for the most part since Carl Jung’s “Electra complex” was better received. (Wikipedia.org). Jung’s theory was eventually grouped together with
Sigmund Freud was born in Freiberg, Moravia (which is now Czech Republic) on May 6, 1856. He was born to a Jewish Galician parents and he was the first born child in a family of eight. He is well known as the Austrian neurologist and due to his studies he is infamously known as the father of psychoanalysis. He received his medical degree in 1881 where he was qualified as a doctor of medicine at Vienna University. This is where he began his studies on cerebral palsy, aphasia, and other neuroanatomy topics. Around 1886 Freud set up his own private practice in the treatment of psychological disorders. Freud then married Martha Bernay in 1886. In 1908 Freud’s became
Self-control can be defined as the ability to control oneself, in particular one’s emotions or desires, especially in difficult situations. Comparatively, self-image is the idea one has of one’s abilities, appearance or personality. Often self-image and self-control are thought of as separate entities, but in the case of the tragic play “Oedipus Rex,” Sophocles demonstrates the connection between the two through the tragic events that occur. Integrated in the plot is the growth of the character of Oedipus, for it is he whom indices the investigation to stop the current plague in his kingdom of Thebes, his personal rashness and ignorance of the past come back to haunt him. Oedipus’ incautiousness when discovering the true state of Thebes is
Oedipus at first finds the implications of killing his father and sleeping with his mother difficult to tolerate as a factual manifestation of his past. He disputes the fact that he had caused suc...
Sophocles, the author of “Oedipus the King” led individuals such as Freud to critically analyze this play specifically for its psychological content. Freud utilized this play to expand his dream analysis research as well as the inspiration of the infamous “Oedipus Complex.” Oedipus operates under freewill, yet his fate has been determined by the Gods although the end result may require a winding path of less than obvious events that occur to achieve the prophecy. The supporting roles in “Oedipus the King” truly exploit the protagonist, Oedipus, and his character flaws. All in all, Sophocles demonstrates the power of an individual’s psyche by illustrating the fears and dreams that are transformed into actions; such actions also lead to the rise and fall of the great Oedipus by the end of “Oedipus the King.”
The aim of this essay is to clarify the basic principles of Freud’s theories and to raise the main issues.
Kazdin, Alan E. "Oedipus Complex." Encyclopedia of Psychology. Vol. 5. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, 2000. 494-96. Print.
Oedipus’ situation is commonly thought to be rare at first glance. But noted psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud wrote many papers on the actual commonality of the condition. At first, this is a proof of the existence of common humanity in the work. Delving deeper, it can be seen that Oedipus represents any part of ourselves that disagrees with our parents, sometimes wishing them dead, or even the part that takes things for granted, without thinking.
The Oedipus Complex, in psychoanalytic theory, is a desire for sexual involvement with the parent of the opposite sex and a concomitant sense of rivalry with the parent of the same sex; a crucial stage in the normal developmental process. The term derives from the Theban hero, Oedipus, of Greek legend, who unknowingly slew his father and married his mother.
Psychoanalytic Theory itself has, what seems to be, two contradictory halves: Freudian psychoanalysis and Lacanian psychoanalysis. The first half focuses solely on the author and the unconscious mind; the second considers the unconscious, but prefers to concentrate on outside influences by deconstructing the text itself. According to Freud, interpretation is achieved by examining conflicts and symbols, such as Freudian slips and dream images. These outlets are help to determine whether an individual’s external behavior coincides (or conflicts) with their internal emotion. Freud placed emphasis on sexuality and the Oedipus complex, which is the idea of repressed sexual feelings toward a parent of opposite sex. He also defined three levels of the subconscious mind: the ego, the super-ego, and the id. Barry explains that the stages align with “the consciousness, the conscience, and the unconscious” respectively (93). On the other hand, Lacan, a follower of Freud, concentrated on the relationship between an author and his or her work. He claimed the two were inexorably connected, that objectivity is nonexistent. In an essence: an author’s personality is used to interpret the text and, in contrast, the text is used to gain insight about the author. Regardless of the emphasis, psychoanalytic criticism engages an
The ancient story documented in the writing Oedipus Tyrannus by Sophocles follows the story of a clever and strong hero who has tragedy befall him. He is fated to kill his father and marry his mother as a result of his father not heeding a warning from the gods. Upon discovering this, Oedipus blinds himself in excruciating guilt, to cut off his senses from the world around him. This guilt is not deserved by Oedipus because he committed the heinous crimes unwittingly he thus, making him innocent of the actions that spurn on the tragic events that occur. While Oedipus possesses some character flaws, they were not conducive to the tragedies that transpire. Rather, he is a heroic and just man who suffers for no fault of his own because of a curse
Oedipus is depicted as a “marionette in the hands of a daemonic power”(pg150), but like all tragic hero’s he fights and struggles against fate even when the odds are against him. His most tragic flaw is his morality, as he struggles between the good and the evil of his life. The good is that he was pitied by the Shepard who saved him from death as a baby. The evil is his fate, where he is to kill his father and marry his mother. His hubris or excessive pride and self-righteousness are the lead causes to his downfall. Oedipus is a tragic hero who suffers the consequences of his immoral actions, and must learn from these mistakes. This Aristotelian theory of tragedy exists today, as an example of what happens when men and women that fall from high positions politically and socially.