A Level Psychology OCR Practice Exam

In Freud's theory, what causes the anxiety for boys during the Oedipus complex?

1. Fear of intimacy

2. Fear of losing the mother's affection

3. Fear of castration

4. Fear of the father

The correct answer is: Fear of castration

In Freud's theory, during the Oedipus complex, boys experience anxiety largely due to the fear of castration. This fear arises as the boy develops a sexual attraction towards his mother and begins to see his father as a rival for maternal affection. The underlying tension is compounded by a deep-seated awareness of the father's authority and power. According to Freud, boys come to worry that if their father discovers their feelings for their mother, they may face punishment in the form of castration, symbolically representing the loss of power and dominance. This castration anxiety is crucial in the development of the male psyche and plays a significant role in resolving the Oedipus complex, leading to the identification with the father and the internalization of societal norms. In this context, while fear of losing the mother’s affection and fear of the father do play a role in the dynamics of the complex, they are secondary to the more primal fear of castration, which fundamentally shapes the boy’s psychological experience during this developmental stage.