Freud described a young boy's guilt feelings arising from jealousy of his father's relationship with his mother as which concept?

Freud described a young boy's guilt feelings arising from jealousy of his father's relationship with his mother as which concept?

• A. Oedipus complex
• B. Electra complex
• C. Inferiority complex
• D. Castration anxiety

Answer: (A)

The main concept here is the Oedipus complex. In Freud’s theory, during the phallic stage a boy experiences unconscious sexual wishes for his mother and views his father as a rival. This creates guilt and anxiety, often described as castration anxiety, as the boy fears punishment from the father. The overall pattern—desire for the mother and rivalry with the father, followed by guilt and eventual resolution through identification with the father—defines the Oedipus complex. The Electra complex is the counterpart discussed for girls in later literature, not the boy’s described experience. Inferiority complex comes from Adler, a different theorist, and castration anxiety is a component of the process rather than the full concept.

The main concept here is the Oedipus complex. In Freud’s theory, during the phallic stage a boy experiences unconscious sexual wishes for his mother and views his father as a rival. This creates guilt and anxiety, often described as castration anxiety, as the boy fears punishment from the father. The overall pattern—desire for the mother and rivalry with the father, followed by guilt and eventual resolution through identification with the father—defines the Oedipus complex. The Electra complex is the counterpart discussed for girls in later literature, not the boy’s described experience. Inferiority complex comes from Adler, a different theorist, and castration anxiety is a component of the process rather than the full concept.