According to Greek mythology, Electra was the daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra.

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While the term "Electra complex" is frequently associated with When Clytemnestra and her lover, Aegisthus, killed Agamemnon, Electra persuaded her brother Orestes to help her kill both her mother and her mother’s lover.According to Freud, all people go through numerous stages of psychosexual development as children. Electra And Oedipal Complexes . Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles.

It’s more a theory that’s become the subject of jokes.If you’re concerned about your child’s mental or sexual development, reach out to a healthcare professional, such as a doctor or child psychologist.

During the stages of Freud's theory of psychosexual development, the libidinal energy is focused on different erogenous zones of the child's body. The Electra complex is a psychoanalytic term used to describe a girl's sense of competition with her mother for the affections of her father. Psychology Definition of ELECTRA COMPLEX: The female version of Oedipus complex where a duaghter loves her father, is jealous of the mother. At this stage, she develops subconscious sexual feelings toward her father.She becomes hostile toward her mother and fixated on her father. All rights reserved.

Cornell University Press, 2005. In 1912, the concept of Electra would serve to illustrate girls’ early fixation on their parents.

As with many of Freud’s theories, the feminine Oedipus attitude complex and the notion of “penis envy” is also widely criticized. Freud proposed that the feminine Oedipus attitude was more emotionally intense than the Carl Jung expanded on this theory by labeling it the “Electra complex.” However, this label was rejected by Freud, who said it was an attempt to analogize the Oedipus complex between the sexes. See more. Freud and Jung were originally close friends and colleagues, but Jung increasingly grew dissatisfied with certain aspects of Freud's theories. The Electra complex is a term used to describe the female version of the It involves a girl, aged between 3 and 6, becoming subconsciously sexually attached to her father and increasingly hostile toward her mother.

Later, in… sacrifice: Theories of the origin of sacrifice …on the assumption that the Oedipus complex is innate and universal. By emulating her mother, she learns to follow traditional gender roles. It was Jung who dubbed Freud's feminine Oedipus attitude as the Electra complex. David Susman, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist with experience providing treatment to individuals with mental illness and substance use concerns. Copyright © … The Electra complex is a psychoanalytic term used to describe a girl's sense of competition with her mother for the affections of her father. Since Freud believed there were crucial differences between the Oedipus complex and the feminine Oedipus attitude, he didn’t believe they should be conflated.Then, she realizes she doesn’t have a penis. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins All rights reserved.the daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra who incited her brother Orestes to kill Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus.the daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra. As a result, Freud believed that the girl then begins to identify with and emulate her mother out of fear of losing her love. In puberty, she’ll then start becoming attracted to men who aren’t related to her, according to Freud.Some adults, Jung noted, could regress to the phallic stage or never grow out of the phallic stage, leaving them sexually attached to their parent.The Electra complex isn’t widely accepted in psychology nowadays. She is the main character in two Greek tragedies, Electra by Sophocles and Electra by Euripides.She is also the central figure in plays by Aeschylus, Alfieri, Voltaire, Hofmannsthal, and Eugene O'Neill. Electra definition, the daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra who incited her brother Orestes to kill Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus. Very little data actually supports the idea that the Electra complex is real. Kendra Cherry, MS, is an author, educational consultant, and speaker focused on helping students learn about psychology. The Electra complex is not widely accepted among mental health professionals today, who often view Freud's ideas about psychosexual development as outdated and sexist since they rely on century-old gender roles. Freud developed the underlying ideas of the Electra complex, although he did not term it as such.

It is comparable to the Oedipus complex in males. It is comparable to the The most important stage is the “phallic stage” between the ages of 3 and 6.