Overview of the Electra Complex in Psychology

The Electra complex is a psychoanalytic term used to describe a girl's sense of competition with her mother for the affections of her father. It is comparable to theOedipus complexin males.

According to Freud, during female psychosexual development, a young girl is initially attached to her mother. When she discovers that she does not have a penis, she becomes attached to her father and begins to resent her mother who she blames for her "castration."

As a result, Freud believed that the girl then begins to identify with and emulate her mother out of fear of losing her love. Resolving the Electra complex ultimately leads to identification with the same-sex parent.

History

While the term "Electra complex" is frequently associated withSigmund Freud, it was actuallyCarl Jungwho coined the term in 1913. The term is derived from the Greek myth of Electra and her brother Orestes, who plotted the death of their mother for revenge of their father's murder.

Freud developed the underlying ideas of the Electra complex, although he did not term it as such. Freud rejected the term and described it as an attempt "to emphasize the analogy between the attitude of the two sexes."

Freud and Jung were originally close friends and colleagues, but Jung increasingly grew dissatisfied with certain aspects of Freud's theories. He felt that Freud emphasized the role sexuality played in motivating human behavior. Eventually, Jung resigned from his psychoanalytic affiliations and acrimony grew between the two men.

How Does the Electra Complex Work?

根据弗洛伊德的理论,的一个重要组成部分the developmental process is learning to identify with the same-sex parent. During the stages of Freud's theory of psychosexual development, the libidinal energy is focused on different erogenous zones of the child's body.

If something goes wrong during any of these stages, afixationat that point in development might occur. A fixation is a persistent focus on an earlier psychosexual stage. Such fixations, Freud believed, often led to anxiety and played a role in neurosis and maladaptive behaviors in adulthood.

Freud described the feminine Oedipus attitude complex as a daughter's longing for her father and competition with her mother. The daughter possesses an unconscious desire to replace her mother as her father's sexual partner, thus leading to a rivalry between daughter and mother.

The Electra complex is thought to take place during the phallic stage, ages 3 to 6, of psychosexual development, during which time daughters spend more time with their fathers, flirting and practicing sexual behaviors without sexual contact. Freud did admit that he knew less about the sexual life of little girls than little boys.

A number ofdefense mechanismsplay a role in resolving the Electra complex. It is theprimal id(a component of personality present from birth) that demands the child to possess her father and compete with her mother. To resolve the conflict, these urges and desires must first be repressed from conscious memory.

弗洛伊德还指出,当一个年轻的女孩ers she does not have a penis, she develops "penis envy" and begins to resent her mother for "sending her into the world so insufficiently equipped."

Eventually, this resentment leads the daughter to identify with her mother and incorporate many of the same personality characteristics into her ego. This process also allows the daughter to internalize her mother's morality into hersuper-ego,which ultimately directs her to follow the rules of her parents and society.

A Word From Verywell

The Electra complex is not widely accepted among mental health professionals today, who often view Freud's ideas about psychosexual development as outdated and sexist since they rely on century-old gender roles. That said, research does show that children learn about gender roles and sexuality from their parents.

If you're concerned about your child’ssexualized behavior, a mental health professional can conduct an assessment. They can then make treatment recommendations to address sexual behavior problems.