Oedipus Complex Essay

Words: 842
Pages: 4
Open Document
The brilliant Sigmund Freud, pioneer in Psychoanalysis, discovered a theory about human behavior through self-evaluation. Comparing his findings to “Oedipus the King” play by Sophocles, naming his theories after this play, the Oedipus Complex. Freud develops his masterful theory on the basis of his own life, thoroughly analyzing all events and stages that lead to what cause one to behave a certain way. Through Psychoanalysis Freud developed this theory, “ a system of psychological theory and therapy that aims to treat mental disorder by investigating the interaction of conscious and unconscious elements in the mind” analyzing his own behavior through the five stages of his complex; Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latent, and Genital. These stages in life …show more content…
These stages all have critical and lasting effects of an individual’s development. The First stage represents the Oral libido, the satisfaction of biting or chewing on things as an infant; such as breast feeding. “Freud claimed that an oral stimulation could lead to and oral fixation later in life.” (SimplyPsychology, Oral). These fixations usually include; smoking, finger chewing, nail biting, and thumb sucking. Oedipus the king did not show direct signs of this phases having a lasting effects of his Oral …show more content…
During this stage (Phallic Stage) the child starts to develop the characteristics of the same sex parent, however during this phase two stages arise, “The Oedipus Complex” and the “Electra Complex”. “The Oedipus complex” derives specifically from” Oedipus the king” Oedipus was destined to kill his father and marry his mother, he became in competition with his same sex parent instead of adopting his characteristics, and became attracted to his opposite sex parent. This desire to possess the opposite sex parent cause the child to want to eliminate the competition with the same sex parent, whether it be a conscious decision or an unconscious one. Oedipus, although never knowing Laius was his father, was destined to eliminate him from the situation. “This polluting stain I will remove, not for some distant friend, but for myself. For whoever killed this man may soon enough desire to turn his hand in the same way against me, too, and kill me. Thus, in avenging Laius, I serve myself.” (Oedipus the King, 165-170). The conflicted Oedipus desperately try’s to bring justice to the people of Thebes and identify Laius’s murder, when ironically Oedipus himself is the
Show More

Related Documents: Oedipus Complex Essay

Theories Of Sexuality

of propositions and concepts that aim to unravel the complex strands of human emotions and neurosis. Like other theories Freud’s can be unknotted and dissected, they have a beginning, middle and end, but most importantly they have a history. Freud, one of the fledgling fathers of psychoanalysis, was able to modify and add to alter the significance of some fragments of the human consciousness, though any particular idea, such as the Oedipus complex, cannot be adequately understood when taken in isolation…

Words 3577 - Pages 15

Psychodynamic Theory Summary

(Blazin, 2016) Before the recent shift in theoretical approaches there was two complementary approaches to this theory. The first involves Freud’s work which was done on three essays on the theory of sexuality. The second…

Words 623 - Pages 3

Essay on Literature and Psychology

Literature and Psychology Essay #1 Stories and Literature can magnify whichever aspect of the human condition that the author desires. They allow us to expand and shape a world of our creation so that we can carry out experiments in to our own mind. Most psychological ideas are only truly theories and therefore can not easily be proven. Instead of proving these ideas and making them concrete and put our minds in a box, we can make stories, worlds, and fantasies which extrapolate all…

Words 726 - Pages 3

Essay about Compare and Contrast Othello and Waiting for Godot Plays

4/25/13 Oedipus the king is a representative of ancient Greek drama by Sophocles. The Latin title of the play is Oedipus Rex. Though produced as the second play in the three sequences of Theban plays by Sophocles, it finds its way at the top of the sequence as a result of internal chronology. The next play in the sequence is Oedipus at colonus and finally Antigone. The play is an excellent example of Greek tragic plays (Bloom, 51). Waiting for Godot is a play by Samuel Beckett, an Irish who won…

Words 1111 - Pages 5

Phobia: Sigmund Freud and Freud Essay

with his father. Hans mostly spends his time alone with his mother at home. At the age of five Herbert became a patient of Freud who recognized him in his text as "Little Hans". He was the topic of Freud's early but a widespread study of the Oedipus complex and castration anxiety. Freud saw Herbert only once and did not explore the child himself, but rather control the child's father who agreed for the analysis and sent notes to Freud. Sigmund Freud revised his analysis of the case after a number…

Words 1500 - Pages 6

How Is Hamlet Annotated

for Hamlet Critical Texts Adelman, Janet. “Man and Wife is One Flesh": Hamlet and the with the Maternal Body.” Hamlet, edited by Susanne L. Wofford, Bedford/St. Martin, 1994, pp. 113-117. 256-282. See the e-mail address. In Adelman’s essay, she highlights the complex relationship subconsciously shared between Hamlet and his mother Gertrude. Throughout various Shakespeare plays there is a focus on the maternal body being regarded as holy and pure. In the case of Hamlet, there is an underlying desire…

Words 1857 - Pages 8

Who Is Oedipus A Tragic Hero

Oedipus Essay A hero is an ordinary, everyday, run-of-the-mill person, who is willing to rise to an occasion in which a hero is vital to solve a conflict. In many works of literature, author tend to gravitate towards heroes as the main character of their works. Sophocles, the author of Oedipus Rex, focuses on Oedipus, the main character consumed by the plot which revolves around his personal conflict or a conflict in which he must attempt to solve. Oedipus is a tragic hero, a theory created by Aristotle…

Words 1449 - Pages 6

Shakespeare: Gender and Gulick Essay

Gulick, Sidney L., Jr. “Was “Shakespeare” a Woman?” College English 15.8 (May, 1954): 445-449. JSTORE. Web. 6 Mar. 2013 Gulick’s essay provides evidence that Shakespeare had to be a woman. Gulick is right! Who was the woman behind Shakespeare? That should be the question of concern because Gulick’s evidence proves Shakespeare is a woman. As a man, Gulick provided truth to the idiom, “it takes one to know one” and highly doubted the masculinity of Shakespeare’s works. Shakespeare lived from 1564-1616…

Words 785 - Pages 4

Module Two Homework Freud Essay

Maria Thomas-Ellis 13.7.13 Word Count = 2617 Year Two, Module Two Course Code – South2S14 EVALUATE THE EXTENT TO WHICH FREUD’S THEORY OF PSYCHOSEXUAL DEVELOPMENT CAN HELP US TO UNDERSTAND A CLIENT’S PRESENTING ISSUE The target of this essay is to evaluate Freud’s psychosexual theory and to discuss whether or not it can help us, as councillors, to better understand a client’s presenting issue. It will attempt to show how his psychosexual theory relates to adult neurotic behaviour and finally…

Words 2638 - Pages 11

Applying Freud To Stephenie Meyer's Twilight

Applying Freud to Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Disclaimer: this essay has been written as satire. The beliefs expressed hereafter are not my own personal beliefs, rather a critical analysis of the text and an application of theory. I am not a supporter of Freud’s Oedipus and Electra theories due to their perpetuation of a patriarchal system of power and basis in domesticity. Equally, I do not support Twilight in any way, shape, or form, for the same reasons. Since its conception and release in…

Words 1641 - Pages 7