Developmental Psychology

Freud believed that during the Phallic Stage, parental obsessions may come about. He also believed that children could become attracted to their parent of the opposite sex, in a sexual manner. • Oedipus Complex : Male children having sexual attraction to female parent • Electra Complex : Female children having sexual attraction to male parent While efforts have been made to prevent children from developing a sexual attraction to the parent of the opposite sex, it still does occur. Freud referred to a Greek play, Oedipus Rex, which was written by Sophocles. In this play, Oedipus’s parents are informed that after his birth, he will eventually kill his own father, and eventually marry his mother. Despite all efforts to prevent this from happening, not much can be done, and Oedipus carries out the murder of his father and marries his mother. This is the reason why Sigmund Freud decided to use this prophecy as a base for his theory. The resolution of these complexes will vary between boys and girls. Male children will experience castration anxiety . During this period of time, boys believe that if their desires for their mother is discovered that their father will get angry and retaliate them by castrating them. Penis envy is what females experience. Female children eventually realize that they do not have a penis. This may cause the female to experience anxiety, but eventually female children will shift their desires from their fathers to socially acceptable men. Once this occurs, this complex will be resolved. 1.9 Evaluating Freud’s Theories Freud came to accept the notions of the Oedipus and Electra complex, doing so without a degree or background in Greek literature or mythology. Something to keep in mind is that Greek plays for the most part did come from Greek literature and mythology; as well as Greek religion. Freud’s theories and writings can certainly be misunderstood in today’s culture. It’s important to realize that Freud was from a very different time, where the views on sexuality and sexual attraction were a lot different than they are today. When studying Freud today, it’s good to look at his views it’s important to view them from a cultural and historical lens, which will help those looking back at his works, understand the theories that he developed and the intricacies of the complexes. Many people have attempted to expand and accept Freud’s theories. His theories have also been highly criticized and even rejected. It was his work on psychosexual development that has been rejected the most. Some of the reasons it was rejected was due to religions differences, lack of adequate evidence and flawed data. Although it has received a lot of criticism, his work is still influential in providing a foundation for future work in personality development, adolescent development and attachment theory. Carl Jung and Karen Horney are two individuals who built their research on Freud’s work. Jung and Horney both acknowledged the difference between parents and children, but there was a hostility that contributed to parenteral hostility and intimidation. It was Carl Jung who had recognized the belief of the collective unconscious. Jung also believed that the collective unconscious existed at birth and embodied the collective experience of prior generations.

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