A Level Psychology OCR Practice Exam

What complex is considered the female counterpart to the Oedipus complex?

1. Electra complex

2. Penis envy

3. Feminine archetype

4. Freudian slip

The correct answer is: Electra complex

The correct answer is the Electra complex, which is a term developed by Carl Jung to describe a child's psychosexual competition with their same-sex parent for the affection of the opposite-sex parent. In the context of Freud's theories, the Electra complex represents the female counterpart to the Oedipus complex, which involves a boy's feelings of desire for his mother and rivalry with his father. In Freudian theory, during the phallic stage of development, girls experience feelings of attraction towards their fathers, while simultaneously confronting feelings of rivalry and competition with their mothers. This dynamic is thought to emerge as a part of their psychosexual development, paralleling the Oedipus complex in boys. The other options, while significant in psychoanalytic theory, do not serve as the female counterpart to the Oedipus complex. Penis envy refers to feelings of inferiority and envy that girls may experience upon realizing they do not have male genitalia but is not a complex in itself. The feminine archetype pertains to Jungian psychology and refers to universal symbols of femininity, rather than a specific developmental complex. A Freudian slip involves a verbal mistake believed to reveal unconscious thoughts or feelings, but it is unrelated to the concepts of familial rivalry or affection