Which term describes the unconscious sexual feelings of a son toward his mother coupled with hostility toward his father?

Which term describes the unconscious sexual feelings of a son toward his mother coupled with hostility toward his father?

• A. Oedipus complex
• B. Projection
• C. Psychic energy
• D. Sublimation

Answer: (A)

In Freud’s psychodynamic theory, the term that describes a boy’s unconscious sexual feelings for his mother and simultaneous hostility toward his father is the Oedipus complex. This pattern occurs during the phallic stage of development and centers on a child’s intense, though unconscious, attraction to the opposite-sex parent and rivalry with the same-sex parent. The idea is that this tension is resolved as the child starts to identify with the father, which helps shape their sense of morality and the development of the superego. This differs from projection, which is a defense mechanism where a person attributes their own unacceptable impulses to someone else. It also isn’t about the overall energy behind desires—that’s described by the broader notion of libido as psychic energy. And sublimation refers to channeling unacceptable impulses into constructive, socially acceptable activities, rather than describing a specific family dynamic during early development.

In Freud’s psychodynamic theory, the term that describes a boy’s unconscious sexual feelings for his mother and simultaneous hostility toward his father is the Oedipus complex. This pattern occurs during the phallic stage of development and centers on a child’s intense, though unconscious, attraction to the opposite-sex parent and rivalry with the same-sex parent. The idea is that this tension is resolved as the child starts to identify with the father, which helps shape their sense of morality and the development of the superego.

This differs from projection, which is a defense mechanism where a person attributes their own unacceptable impulses to someone else. It also isn’t about the overall energy behind desires—that’s described by the broader notion of libido as psychic energy. And sublimation refers to channeling unacceptable impulses into constructive, socially acceptable activities, rather than describing a specific family dynamic during early development.