What is the Oedipus complex?

• A. A stage of social learning theory.
• B. A dream interpretation method.
• C. A psychosexual stage conflict where a boy experiences desire for the mother and hostility toward the father, resolved by identification with the father.
• D. A form of anxiety disorder.

Answer: (C)

In Freudian psychosexual theory, the Oedipus complex is a stage-specific conflict that occurs in boys during the phallic stage (roughly ages 3–6). The idea is that a boy experiences unconscious sexual desire for his mother and views his father as a rival for her attention. This creates anxiety, which Freud proposed is resolved by the boy identifying with the father—adopting his behavior, values, and gender role—leading to the development of the superego and a sense of moral understanding.

This isn’t about learning through imitation in general (that would be social learning theory), nor is it a method for interpreting dreams, and it’s not a mental disorder. The described conflict and its resolution best capture the concept of the Oedipus complex.