The Electra complex and its most characteristic manifestations. The article provides information on the causes of this pathology with a description of the means to combat it. The Electra complex is a psychological deviation that is analogous to the Oedipus complex. With this pathology, the girl begins to be jealous of her mother towards her father in a rather aggressive form. The problem of such a plan may be of a momentary nature, but in some cases it takes on a global scale. This is expressed in the fact that the baby or then matured lady is hostile to the woman who gave birth to her, in the process of competing for the attention of her father.
What is the Electra complex
The Greek myth, the plot of which took Sophocles as the basis of his work, says that the daughter of Agamemnon wanted to get even with her mother. The girl hated her because she, in conspiracy with her lover, killed Elektra's father and attempted the life of her own son. Enduring oppression, the daughter of the great warrior hatched plans for revenge and brought them to life when her grown-up brother Orestes killed the prodigal mother with her help.
A similar term was first studied by Sigmund Freud, and then his student Carl Jung began to refine research in this direction. On this basis, a conflict arose between the teacher and his ward. Sigmund considered such a model of behavior an exclusively female version of the Oedipus complex, which his follower did not want to confirm.
Therefore, the opinion that the Electra complex in psychology should be associated exclusively with the name of Freud is erroneous. It was Jung who considered this concept in the most detail in his work "Theory of Psychoanalysis" in 1913.
Causes of Electra Syndrome
When studying the formation of the Oedipus complex in a woman, it is worth considering different points of view on this issue. Most of the assumptions of scientists in this area contradict each other, but they are based on the main verdict - the daughter's desire to become the main figure in the father's life.
Many experts reacted negatively to the research of the famous psychotherapist regarding this problem. Sigmund Freud, with all his rejection of his conclusions, saw the reasons for the Electra complex as follows:
- Phallic developmental stage … The analyst of human souls insisted on the fact that every girl initially treats both mother and father in the same way. As she grows up, she realizes that she is deprived of a male genital organ, which leaves her perplexed. Such verbal "castration", according to Freud, causes a feeling of inferiority in the child and an outburst of aggression towards the mother.
- Early libido … The famous psychotherapist based his findings on the theory that children begin to take an interest in the opposite sex from a young age. According to him, at the age of three, the girl is already aware of her sexuality and sees in her mother not the woman who gave birth to her, but a rival.
- Animal instincts … Studying the works of Sigmund Freud, one sometimes marvels at his views on human nature. He really considered people in most cases to be primitive individuals with pagan inclinations. It was the norm for him to say that babies always want their fathers sexually.
It was women who harshly criticized such a decoding of the Electra complex. The idea of envy of the male genital organ most angered Karen Horney. A well-known person who promoted neo-Freudianism categorically disagreed with this point of view of the genius of psychoanalysis.
According to modern experts, pathological love for the father has the following reasons for education:
- Jealousy of the parent … Without taking Freud's teachings as a basis, most doctors consider the girl's jealousy towards her dad as a desire to win his attention without sexual overtones. They exclude sexual attraction to the closest relative, because at this age, in their opinion, the libido is not yet functioning.
- Mother's indifference to father … Children are very sensitive to imbalances in their families. The Electra complex in girls often develops due to resentment for coldness in relation to the most important person in their life. Having mentally elevated their father to Olympus, such babies begin to literally hate their own mothers.
- Fake information … A single woman often tells her daughter all sorts of tales about her biological father. In most cases, she positions him as a deceased male hero. At the slightest conflict, the girl then begins to compare the ideal father and parent with claims, which ultimately can cause the Electra complex.
- Separation of parents … Daddy's darlings always react sharply to the divorce, which was provoked by the woman who gave them life. In this situation, they begin to be jealous of their father not only for his ex-wife, but also for the new chosen one of the parent. Meetings with dad after the divorce of the spouses are usually positive and provoke the development of the Electra complex.
- Lack of funds … When divorced, some women, due to financial difficulties, begin to take it out on their daughter. Girls feel a similar change in their mother's attitude and begin to idealize their father even in the event of his obvious betrayal and social inferiority.
- Indifference of a mother to a child … The Electra complex often develops with a woman's unscrupulous attitude towards raising her daughter and paranoid care from the girl's dad at the same time. Coldness in a relationship with a parent often leads to the fact that the baby begins to perceive critically the mother's upbringing model and elevates any father's act to a cult.
- Unwanted child in the family … For some men, it is very important that they gave birth to an heir. At the birth of a girl, they may be disappointed, which they do not hide in the future either from the wife or from the baby that was born. Trying to win the love of her father in any way, the girl may see the mother as an obstacle to achieving this goal.
The basis of the Electra complex is always the rivalry for the attention of the head of the family. In some cases, it transforms into a search for a copy of the father when choosing a life partner, and sometimes it develops into a mental disorder.
Manifestations of the Electra complex
Having dealt with the reasons for the occurrence of such a psychological deviation, it is necessary to determine the most striking manifestations of it:
- Excessive criticism of the mother … In the woman who gave her life, the girl with the Electra complex will be annoyed by literally everything. This is especially true in a situation where the child's parents are divorced. The verdict of the young lady will be based on the fact that the dad also saw the shortcomings of his wife, like his daughter, and left the family in search of a better life.
- Living in fantasies … Illusions in this case lie in the dreams of a young dreamer about a heroic male image. In the absence of contact with her mother, the girl begins to wait for a deliverer from this routine, which is definitely an escape from reality.
- Copying the occupation … A girl with an Electra complex will try to do the business that brings income to her father. If she fails to get a job in the same organization where the possessed person's dad works, then she will knock on the door of a similar enterprise.
- Choosing a more mature life partner … Usually, ladies with a similar complex get married at the age of 30-35, entering into marriage with men much older in age. If this does not happen, then they remain old maidens until the end of their days.
Ways to deal with the Electra complex
If this complex has become a mental disorder, then it is necessary to look for a way out urgently. When a woman is asked how to get rid of the Electra complex, it is worth listening to the following tips.
Independent actions with the Electra complex
The split in the family on this issue is a problem that can end in tears not only for the parents, but also for their daughter.
If a young person wants to pull herself together, first of all, you need to solve the following questions for yourself:
- Rejection of the ideal image … All people tend to make mistakes, so creating an idol in the person of your own father is not a wise decision. It is necessary to get rid of this archetypal pattern of behavior once and for all.
- Resuming contact with the mother … In most cases, we borrow from our parents not only external data, but also certain preferences and habits. It is in the search for points of contact with the woman who gave birth to you that the main secret of dealing with the Electra complex lies.
- Joint vacation … Nothing brings people together like a vacation in an exotic place. Buying a voucher for two is an ideal solution for this problem. Dad will calmly manage for some time without his two beloved women, who need to talk about a lot with each other.
- Communication with peers … It's time to diversify your leisure time not by spying on the relationship between father and mother, but by going to the cinema, theater and visiting other interesting places with friends. Such contact with peers will allow you to forget about the complex, which, with age, ceases to be associated with a simple childish whim.
- Reading special literature … In this case, it is recommended that you take note of the research in the field of the study of the human soul from Nancy Cater. Particularly interesting is her work "The Electra Complex in the Psychology of a Woman", with which every person should familiarize themselves with a similar problem.
- Watching specific movies … Girls should watch David Cronenberg's film A Dangerous Method, which shows the conflict between Carl Jung and his great teacher. The Freudian Electra complex is perfectly reflected in the film. Sabina Spielrein became not only a patient of famous psychotherapists, but also became aroused from physical abuse from an abusive father.
Help of psychologists in the Electra complex
In some cases, the problem goes so far that it is impossible to do without the help of specialists. As practice shows, psychologists with the Oedipus complex in a woman offer her the following methods of therapy:
- Conversation … A lady with such a problem should often just talk about her trouble with a person who will understand it. Psychologists say that a couple of sessions are enough to rid the girl of the Electra complex.
- Orientation towards a positive mother … During the introduction of the patient into a state of hypnosis, the doctor corrects her consciousness in a positive way. A competent specialist is able to convince a young lady that her parent is not an object of competition for the father's attention. During the session, psychiatrists make it clear to the girl that her mother loves her and does not wish her child any harm.
- The "third is not superfluous" method … To some extent, this therapy resembles the family prophylaxis of the Electra complex. During her mother, father and daughter come to the psychologist for an appointment. All family members are invited to fill out a questionnaire prepared by a psychologist, the data of which are then compared in the presence of the whole family.
The Electra complex and its consequences
With the non-perception of one's own "I" and hypertrophied love for the father, one should expect the following result of such a perception of one's parent:
- Formation of male character traits … Daddy's daughter in most cases will try to prove to him that she has become a role model. At the same time, tenderness in the character of such a girl is not provided, because in the race for the approval of the parent, she becomes a tough person with a masculine vision of reality.
- Finding Father's Double … Quite often, young people try to choose a chosen one for themselves, who would be similar to their parent. If a girl suffers from an Electra complex, then she will definitely spend her life looking for a copy of her father. In case of non-compliance with the designated ideal, the young man will be rejected once and for all. As a result, a woman with such a worldview usually remains an old maid.
- Projecting bad habits … Trying to imitate her father in literally everything, a young lady with an Electra complex will struggle to become his counterpart. If dad smokes, the growing up girl can try her first cigarette. With alcoholism of the head of the family, it is not excluded that the child will repeat the parent's bitter experience.
- Conflict with mother … If the problem is not resolved after the girl is 5-6 years old, then everything can end in systematic quarrels between the female composition of the family. As the baby grows up, they will acquire an increasingly tough character, because jealousy of the father will begin to intensify from year to year.
- Unhappy family life … There are no two absolutely similar people in the world, because even twins have a different vision of reality. Consequently, a girl with an Electra complex is rarely happily married, even with a loved one.
- Attempted murder … With a well-formed neurosis, the Electra complex ceases to be an exclusively problem at the emotional level. Madness in a girl can reach such proportions that she is able to cause physical harm to her own mother due to jealousy of her father.
- Suicide … The desire to voluntarily leave this life is the apotheosis of the Electra complex in a girl or a young person. In this case, we are already talking about urgent hospitalization, as in the case of the attempted murder of my mother.
How to get rid of the Electra complex - watch the video:
With a rather rare manifestation of such a pathology, its consequences can be the most unpredictable, and drug treatment is usually not provided for with it. In this case, the support of close people and the desire of the woman herself to become free from her manic attachment to her father will not hurt.
