Sigmund Freud's Theory On Oedipus Complex

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Recently in the news, gender has been the hot topic people seem to be interested in. This week, Caitlyn Jenner was introduced to the world by Vanity Fair magazine. She used to be Bruce Jenner, the famous former Olympian who is in the public eye because of her reality TV show. Caitlyn Jenner believes she is a woman through her lifestyle and mental state regardless of her primary sex. The issue of defining womanhood can be through socio-cultural factors that Simone de Beauvoir advocate on or the emphasis on embodiment and sexuality that both Sigmund Freud and Luce Irigaray support. Neither theories on femininity and womanhood are wrong but all take different approaches. Simone de Beauvoir explores the definition of a woman. What is a woman? …show more content…
Oedipus complex is believed to develop during the phallic stage. A scientific definition defines as “ a complex of emotions raised in a young child, especially a boy, by a subconscious sexual desire for the parent of the opposite gender” (Rather 2011). Electra complex is the equivilent for girls and their psychological development. The theory explains how boys have the fear of castration and girls have penis envy. Freud believes, both must overcome their anxiety in order to develop their gender …show more content…
Biological sex can be easily determined as male or female. But there is the case of transexuals and intersexuals. For the sake of this report, male and female is discussed, more so on the female gender. Any philosopher, can hypothesize what gender means and how it came about. Men should not be regarded as a standard human nor should women be seen as a special case or a defect of men. Beauvoir, Freud, and Irigaray have their take on how womanhood is developed through a female but they cannot prove it. It takes a human being to define what their own gender is and however they

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