Oedipus Complex Psychological Analysis

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My personal opinion from a psychology student point of view is that Billy demonstrates many symptoms of the Oedipus Complex. In other words, I believe he has rooted attachment issues with her primary caregiver, her mother. He is known to have a deep affection for her mother, as well as perceiving her as the center of his life. The most important sign of his hidden sexual desires towards his mother can be observed any time he gets rejected by his mother. He reacts ultra-sensitively, and leans toward suicidal behaviors as mentioned before. For example, after having an intercourse with Candy, he gets caught by Nurse Ratched who’s a good friend of his mother. Nurse Ratched pressures him by telling that his mother won’t appreciate this type of behavior. …show more content…
He prefers a mental institution over the prison because he believes that it will be more comfortable for him. Yet, he faces the reality quickly: Once you are in a mental institution, everything you do becomes a sign of insanity. McMurphy is depicted as a pretty sane person in the beginning of the movie. He dresses up relatively nicer than other patients. He communicates nicely, and is aware of the social guidelines. McMurphy is a successful observer and he uses his observation skills to build a bridge between himself and the other patients. He quickly gains many people’s approval and admiration including the Doctor, and some of the staff members. His charming nature allows him to have some type of power over other patients. Nurse Ratched recognizes his power rise quickly, and uses her authority to pressure him into obeying her rules. In the meantime, being constantly exposed to insanity influences McMurphy. He spends most of his days with people who are diagnosed with major illnesses, in an institution full with people believing that he is one of them. He fights against his label too much that he gets defeated by his own efforts. Soon, his behaviors and approach to the world around him changes. His clothes are a good example of this prolonged change. At first, McMurphy wears the combination of a blue shirt, brown jacket, and jeans. Later in the movie, he replaces this look with a shirt and white patient uniform. This is a pretty visual alteration in terms of portraying his mental

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