Psychotherapists explain the Oedipus complex as a controversial theory of Sigmund Freud as a component of psychosexual development focusing on a child’s development within the ages of three and six, which is characterized as the phallic stage. Concerning boys, Freud ascribed feelings of desire toward the mother and rivalry toward the father, which Freud suggested led to the child’s castration anxiety, which was resolved through the child’s internal moral formation and superego construction. Concerning girls, Freud suggested that a similar, though underdeveloped, process was described as the Electra complex which was characterized by an unconscious desire toward the father and rivalry toward the mother. Throughout the years and under different modern psychoanalytical theorists, the Oedipus complex remains the prominent explanation for the construction and formation of a child’s gender identity, morality, and emotional connections.
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