What Freud Got Right: Oedipus Complex
By Chris Hammond, MS, IMH There he was at six years old running to welcome me home with open arms. His warm embrace and excitement over greeting me filled my heart with overwhelming joy. Our son dominated my greeting making sure that my husband did not get close and when he did, he immediately jumped in-between our embrace. He spoke of all the things he did desperately seeking my approval and interrupted any conversation my husband and I attempted to have. It was adorable and I loved every minute of it but was not right. Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis and psychosexual development, coined the phrase Oedipus Complex to describe the sexual attraction a child has for their parent. He believed that every child wants to have sex with their parent, usually the parent of the opposite sex, and this is why they naturally desire to please or get the attention of said parent. While I do not agree with the sexual component, there...