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Oedipus Complex (oedipus + complex)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Psychology75%

Selected Abstracts

Murdered father; dead father: Revisiting the Oedipus complex,

THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PSYCHOANALYSIS, Issue 4 2009
Rosine J. Perelberg
This paper recovers the notion of the sacrifice of sexuality as the central, tragic, element of the oedipal structure. This notion has been largely abandoned in the psychoanalytic literature that has tended to reduce the oedipal structure to processes of exclusion. The paper traces the development of the theoretical and clinical transformations of Freud,'s ideas on the role of the father and suggests that they allow us to more fully comprehend the Oedipus complex proposed by Freud. A paradox is explored: the killing of the father is, in Freud,'s view, the requirement for the creation of the social order which, from then on, prohibits all killings. The father, however, has to be killed metaphorically only, as the actual exclusion of the father lies at the origin of so many psychopathologies from violence to the psychoses and perversions. The paper analyses the fundamental asymmetry that is present in the Oedipal structure and suggests that the three elements of the oedipal triangle constitute the law (of the dead father, that institutes the sacrifice of sexuality), desire (for the lost object) and identification (with both father and mother). Two clinical examples are discussed. In the first, one can identify a perverse structure in which the father has been murdered; in the second, there is a progressive construction of the dead (symbolic) father in the analytic process. [source]

Symbolic conceptions: the idea of the third

THE JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 5 2007
Warren Colman
Abstract:, The idea of the third which appears in Jung's concepts of the transcendent function and the coniunctio also occurs in several psychoanalytic theories concerning the emergence of reflective and symbolic thought in childhood development (defined here as the development of ,imaginal capacity'). Noting the way this process is often conceived in terms of the metaphor of sexual intercourse leading to ,conception', this paper suggests that such images need to be understood as symbolic conceptions of the meaning-making functions of the human mind. This leads to a different view of psychoanalytic theories that attempt to account for the development of imaginal capacity in terms of the Oedipus complex. It is suggested that a) these functions must be operative in the mind before the Oedipal situation can become meaningful and b) that psychoanalytic theories are themselves symbolic conceptions which, like mythological narratives, seek to communicate and comprehend psychic reality through imaginal forms. Translations of Abstract L'idée du tiers exprimée dans les concepts jungiens de fonction transcendante et de coniunctio est également présente dans plusieurs théories psychanalytiques traitant de l'émergence d'une pensée réflexive et symbolique chez l'enfant (ici définie comme le développement de sa ,capacité imaginale,). A partir du constat que ce processus apparaît souvent sous la forme métaphorique de l'acte sexuel menant à la ,conception,, cet article propose une compréhension de ces images en termes de conceptions symboliques des fonctions sémiotiques de l'esprit humain. Ceci nous amène à envisager différemment les théories psychanalytiques qui tentent de rendre compte du développement de la capacité imaginale en termes de complexe d',dipe. J'avance, d'une part, l'idée que ces fonctions doivent être opérationnelles dans le psychisme pour que la situation oedipienne puisse prendre tout son sens et, d'autre part, que les théories psychanalytiques sont elles-mêmes des conceptions symboliques qui, tout comme les récits mythologiques, visent à communiquer et à appréhender la réalité psychique à travers des formes imaginales. Die Idee des Dritten, die in Jungs Konzepten der transzendenten Funktion und der coniunctio entwickelt wird, gibt es auch in einigen psychoanalytischen Theorien, die sich mit der Entstehung des reflektiven und symbolischen Denkens in der Entwicklung des Kindes befassen (hier definiert als die Entwicklung der, imaginalen Kapazität'). Es wird beschrieben, wie der Weg dieses Prozesses oft in Form der Metapher vom Geschlechtsverkehr verstanden wird, der zur, Konzeption' (Empfängnis) führt. In dieser Arbeit wird die Ansicht vertreten, dass solche Vorstellungen als symbolische Konzeptionen der sinnstiftenden Funktionen des menschlichen Bewusstseins verstanden werden müssen. Dies führt zu einer anderen Sicht auf psychoanalytische Theorien, die versuchen, die Entwicklung der imaginalen Kapazität mithilfe des Ödipuskomplexes zu begründen. Es wird vorgeschlagen, dass a) diese Funktionen im Bewusstsein bereits wirksam sein müssen, bevor die ödipale Situation bedeutsam werden kann, und dass b) psychoanalytische Theorien an sich symbolische Konzeptionen sind, die, wie mythologische Narrative, versuchen, die psychische Realität durch imaginale Formen zu vermitteln und verstehen. L'idea del terzo che compare nei concetti junghiani di funzione trascendente e di coniunctio compare anche in molte teorie psicoanalitiche che riguardano l'emergere del pensiero simbolico e riflessivo nello sviluppo del bambino (definito qui come lo sviluppo delle ,capacità immaginali'). Considerando il modo in cui tale processo viene spesso concepito in termini di rapporti sessuali che conducono al ,concepimento', questo scritto propone che tali immagini debbano essere considerate come concezioni simboliche delle funzioni creatrici di significato della mente umana. Ciò porta a una diversa visione delle teorie psicoanalitiche che tentano di spiegare lo sviluppo della capacità immaginale in termini di complesso Edipico. Si ipotizza che a) tali funzioni siano operative nella mente prima che la situazione Edipica possa divenire significativa e che b) le teorie psicoanalitiche siano esse stesse concezioni simboliche che, quanto le narrazioni mitologiche, cercano di comunicare e comprendere la realtà psichica attraverso forme immaginali. La idea del tercero que surge del concepto de Jung sobre la Función trascendente y la coniunctio también aparece en varias teorías psicoanalíticas concernientes con la emergencia de los pensamientos simbólico y reflexivo en el desarrollo infantil (el cual es definido aquí cómo el desarrollo de ,la capacidad imaginal'). Apreciando la manera cómo frecuentemente es concebido en términos de la metáfora del acto sexual que conduce a la ,concepción', este trabajo sugiere que tales imágenes deben ser entendidas como concepciones simbólicas de la función de dar-sentido de la mente humana. Ello conduce a una visión diferente de las teorías psicoanalíticas que tratan de explicar el desarrollo de la capacidad imaginal sólo en términos del Complejo de Edipo. Se sugiere que a) estas funciones deben estar operativas en la mente antes de que la situación Edípica pueda ser significativa y b) que las teorías psicoanalíticas son en sí mismas concepciones simbólicas, que, cómo las narrativas mitológicas, buscan comunicar y comprender la realidad psíquica a través de formas imaginales. [source]

SENSUAL ATTACHMENT AND INCEST AVOIDANCE IN HUMAN EVOLUTION AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

THE JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL ANTHROPOLOGICAL INSTITUTE, Issue 4 2005
John M. Ingham
The authors take issue with the critique of psychoanalysis and the depiction of human sexuality and incest avoidance in evolutionary psychology. Drawing on human neurobiology and evolutionary anthropology, they show that human beings have an evolved disposition toward pair-bonding and evolved capacities for self-regulation of sexual and aggressive impulses. The realization that these characteristics are not only important but also interrelated leads to a reassessment of the Oedipus complex, a new model of incest avoidance in humans, and a fresh perspective on the relation between reproductive behaviour and environmental conditions. [source]