The Oedipus Complex in the Psychoneuroses

ONE of the most important of complexes is the Oedipus complex, as it frequently furnishes the underlying mental mechanism of many psychoneuroses and of abnormal sexual inversions. This Oedipus-trend usually has its origin during the earliest years of childhood, and in adults it may appear in dreams, in the form of a psychoneurosis or as homo-sexuality, the latter originating as a reaction of defense against the suppressed and unconscious Oedipus ideas. The most convenient and readiest method of analyzing this Oedipus complex in adults is through the dreams. These dreams may appear in two distinct types, either as a literal incest dream, or as is more commonly the case, in a disguised and symbolized form, such as the death of the father. Even the literal dreams, however, as will be later demonstrated, frequently contain many symbolized and disguised elements. If the suppression of the complex has been inefficacious, the Oedipus-trend appears literally in the dream; if the suppression has been completely successful, due to the building up of incest barriers, the complex becomes markedly symbolized. The degree of symbolism runs parallel, therefore, with the success of the suppression.