Tessa's jealousy toward her father over his affection for her mother illustrates which Freudian concept?

Tessa's jealousy toward her father over his affection for her mother illustrates which Freudian concept?

• A. Electra Complex
• B. Oedipus Complex
• C. Superego
• D. Repression

Answer: (A)

Electra Complex describes a daughter's psychosexual stage in which she directs her romantic feelings toward her father and experiences rivalry with her mother for his affection, typically during the phallic stage (roughly ages 3–6). Tessa's jealousy toward her father because he favors her mother fits this pattern, illustrating the daughter's competition for her father's attention. It is considered the female counterpart to the Oedipus Complex, though Freud's framework often uses Oedipus for both sexes. The other options refer to different ideas: the Superego is the moral conscience, and repression is a defense mechanism that pushes uncomfortable thoughts out of awareness, neither of which capture this parental-favorite dynamic in early development.

Electra Complex describes a daughter's psychosexual stage in which she directs her romantic feelings toward her father and experiences rivalry with her mother for his affection, typically during the phallic stage (roughly ages 3–6). Tessa's jealousy toward her father because he favors her mother fits this pattern, illustrating the daughter's competition for her father's attention. It is considered the female counterpart to the Oedipus Complex, though Freud's framework often uses Oedipus for both sexes. The other options refer to different ideas: the Superego is the moral conscience, and repression is a defense mechanism that pushes uncomfortable thoughts out of awareness, neither of which capture this parental-favorite dynamic in early development.