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Sigmund Freud's Oedipal Complex

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1.6—Freudian Love as Possession and Power as Manipulation of Parents The Oedipal Complex of Freud seems to bring a stretch of preschool sexuality into the realm of immature power manipulation. The preschool child has a different relationship with the mother than he has with the father and likes different parents in different ways based on his needs. At this stage, as the child favors the mom over the dad, he begins to realize that both parents like expressions of his love and approval and therein is a source of power to play one off over the other. The child may want the mom’s nurturing and reject the intrusion of the father who has been out working all day. As a pre-verbal baby this was okay for the father but now the dad wants more interaction …show more content…

Freud left this topic to his disciple Alfred Adler who saw power as a major component in different kinds of competition between siblings in the family. Remember the “Smothers Brothers” routine of “Mom always loved you best”? 1.7—The Power Complexes of Superiority and Inferiority Complexes According to Erik Erikson, the roots of inferiority may develop during this second toddler stage of activity if there is a lack of physical fitness or athletic de-ficiency but shame is more likely to develop in a competitive context of “the family constellation”. Alfred Adler saw power as a more dominant motivator than love arising among the “sibling rivalry” that develops when the first born child is “dethroned” from central stage as the only child by the birth of a second child. The baby needs more attention than the 2-4 year old first born and is loved just for being the newborn baby. The older child tries to win the parents’ attention back by achievements or misdeeds (power) but the baby is still in the center stage just for little smiles and needing hugs …show more content…

Adler’s main theory of sibling rivalry also shows up in all settings but with some surprises. One would expect the first born to dominate and the later born to fight this domination. When a first born sister gets along a later born brother, it is expected that marrying a later born husband who gets along with his first born sister will work out with more love than conflict. Furthermore, middle born children are often outside of the first born ruler and last born baby scenario by avoiding both extreme roles to find a middle path of their own

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