Oedipus complex

English

Etymology

Named after Oedipus in Greek mythology, who unwittingly killed his father and married his mother.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈidəpəs ˈkɒmplɛks/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛdəpəs ˈkɒmplɛks/

Noun

Oedipus complex (plural Oedipus complexes)

1. (psychoanalysis) In Freudian theory, the complex of emotions aroused in a child by an unconscious sexual desire for the parent of the opposite sex.
   • 1957, S[idney] J[oseph] Perelman, “Cloudland Revisited: Vintage Swine”, in The Road to Miltown: Or, Under the Spreading Atrophy (A Touchstone Book), 1st Touchstone paperback edition, New York, N.Y.: Simon and Schuster, published 1971, →ISBN, page 88:

     He never palliated his villainy, never helped old ladies across the street to show that he was a sweet kid au fond or prated about his Oedipus complex like the Percy boys who portray heavies today.

Derived terms

• Oedipal

Translations

Freudian theory

• Armenian: էդիպյան բարդույթ (ēdipyan barduytʻ)
• Catalan: complex d'Èdip m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 戀母情結 / 恋母情结 (zh) (liànmǔqíngjié)

• Czech: oidipovský komplex m
• Esperanto: Edipa konflikto
• Finnish: oidipuskompleksi (fi)
• French: complexe d’Œdipe (fr) m
• German: Ödipuskomplex (de) m, Ödipuskonflikt m
• Greek: Οιδιπόδειο σύμπλεγμα n (Oidipódeio sýmplegma)
• Irish: coimpléacs Éideapúis m
• Japanese: エディプスコンプレックス (Edipusu-konpurekkusu)
• Macedonian: Едипов комплекс m (Edipov kompleks)
• Norwegian: ødipuskompleks
• Polish: kompleks Edypa m
• Portuguese: complexo de Édipo m
• Russian: эди́пов ко́мплекс (ru) m (edípov kómpleks)
• Spanish: complejo de Edipo (es) m
• Swedish: oidipuskomplex (sv) n
• Turkish: Ödipus karmaşası, Ödipus kompleksi, Ödipal karmaşa
• Yiddish: עדיפּוס קאָמפּלעקס m (edipus kompleks)

See also

• Electra complex