The Oedipus complex is a concept of psychoanalytic theory. Sigmund Freud introduced the concept in his Interpretation of Dreams and coined the expression in his A Special Type of Choice of Object made by Men.

What is the Oedipus complex in simple terms?

The Oedipus complex is a psychoanalytic theory proposing that children have possessive sexual desires for their opposite-sex parent while viewing their same-sex parent as a rival and that the complex is resolved when children overcome their incestuous and competitive emotions and begin to view their same-sex parent as ...

What is an example of Oedipus complex?

The following are some examples that could be a sign of the complex: a boy who acts possessive of his mother and tells the father not to touch her. a child who insists on sleeping between parents. a girl who declares she wants to marry her father when she grows up.