What is an Oedipus complex and how do I know if I have it?
The Oedipus complex is the unconscious and normal rejection of the parent of the same sex, due to a projection of love for the parent of the opposite sex, that occurs between the age of 2 and a half to 7. It resolves itself naturally through gradual identification with the parent of the same sex. n the development of the child, incomplete resolution of the Oedipus complex is the cause of most mental problems in men, according to Freud. However, this complex seems only to exist in nuclear families (where father, mother and children live under the same roof) and the emergence of new forms of families (single parents, gay parents etc.) drives modern psychoanalysis to consider the case where a parental figure is absent, intermittent, or shared between several men. The lack of a paternal figure is also said to lead a child to identify with his mother and so, in certain cases, be attracted to people of the same sex.
