Oedipus and Electra complexes are most associated with which Freud stage?

Oedipus and Electra complexes are most associated with which Freud stage?

• A. Phallic
• B. Oral
• C. Anal
• D. Latency

Answer: (A)

The phallic stage is when the libido is focused on the genitals, and it’s the period Freud describes for the Oedipus and Electra complexes. In this stage, children experience unconscious desires for the opposite-sex parent and rivalry with the same-sex parent, which drives important conflicts that are resolved through identification with the same-sex parent and the development of the superego. The other stages involve different focuses—oral on feeding and dependence, anal on toilet training and control, and latency on a temporary decrease in sexual energy and a shift to social and skill development—so they don’t center these complexes.

The phallic stage is when the libido is focused on the genitals, and it’s the period Freud describes for the Oedipus and Electra complexes. In this stage, children experience unconscious desires for the opposite-sex parent and rivalry with the same-sex parent, which drives important conflicts that are resolved through identification with the same-sex parent and the development of the superego. The other stages involve different focuses—oral on feeding and dependence, anal on toilet training and control, and latency on a temporary decrease in sexual energy and a shift to social and skill development—so they don’t center these complexes.