Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Phenomenology and Ontology of the Oedipus Complex

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Applied Psychology Readings (SCAP 2016)

Included in the following conference series:

  • 887 Accesses

Abstract

This paper will continue my earlier work that provided a phenomenological and ontological explanation of Jung’s complex theory (Gildersleeve in Procedia Soc Behav Sci 217:967–976, 2016). This paper will contribute to that earlier work by providing a phenomenological explanation of Freud’s writing on the Oedipus complex and this phenomenological description will also allow the ontological meaning of the Oedipus complex to be understood. This work reveals the convergent ideas between Martin Heidegger’s philosophy and Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis and this provides support to defend the existence of Freud’s arguments on the Oedipus complex by explaining it through the lived experience vocabulary of phenomenology. This article also demonstrates that Jung’s and Freud’s writing on complexes possess the same phenomenological and ontological structure and this shows that their respective theories can be integrated to develop psychoanalytic theory and practice in new ways. Finally, this work contributes to the writing of Medard Boss and the Daseinsanalysis literature that has yet to provide a Daseinsanalytic interpretation of the Oedipus complex.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Askay, R., & Farquhar, J. (2006). Apprehending the inaccessible: Freudian psychoanalysis and existential phenomenology. Evanston: Northwestern University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Askay, R., & Farquhar, J. (2013). Being Unconscious: Heidegger and Freud. Oxford Handbooks Online.

    Google Scholar 

  • Benjamin, J. (1987). The decline of the Oedipus complex. In J. M. Broughton (Ed.), Critical theories of psychological development. New York: Plenum

    Google Scholar 

  • Boss, M. (1963). Psychoanalysis and daseinsanalysis. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boss, M. (1977). Existential foundations of medicine and psychology. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boss, M. (1988). Recent considerations in daseinsanalysis. The Humanistic Psychologist, 16(1), 58–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Britton, R. (1989). The missing link: parental sexuality in the Oedipus complex. The Oedipus complex today: Clinical implications, 83-101.

    Google Scholar 

  • Casement, A. (2001). Carl Gustav Jung (Vol. 11). London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Craig, E. (1988). Introduction: daseinsanalysis: A quest for essentials. The Humanistic Psychologist, 16(1), 1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dimas, C., Reiss, D., & Neiderhiser, J. (2008). Triangular relationships in adolescence predict adult psychopathology: An empirical validation of the Oedipus Complex? Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 56(4), 1342–1348.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Freud, S. (1920). A general introduction to psychoanalysis. New York: Boni and Liveright.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Freud, S. (1925). Collected papers. Vol. 5, Miscellaneous papers, 1888–1938. London: Hogarth Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freud, S. (1949). An outline of psychoanalysis (J. Strachey, Trans.). Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freud, S. (1950). Totem and taboo: Some points of agreement between the mental lives of savages and neurotics (Vol. 94, p. 124) (J. Strachey, Trans.). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freud, S. (1955). The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 18). London: Hogarth Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freud, S. (1962). The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud: (1909) Two case histories (‘Little Hans’ and the ‘Rat Man’). London: Hogarth Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Freud, S. (1963). 1916–1917 Introductory lectures on psycho-analysis Standard Edition 15 and 16. London: Hogarth Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freud, S. (1977). Introductory lectures on psychoanalysis of Sigmund Freud. New York: Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freud, S. (1997). Writings on art and literature. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freud, S. (2001a). Complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 4). New York: Random House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freud, S. (2001b). Complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 7). New York: Random House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freud, S. (2001c). Complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 11). New York: Random House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freud, S. (2001d). Complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 15). New York: Random House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freud, S. (2001e). Complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 16). New York: Random House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freud, S. (2001g). Complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 19). New York: Random House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freud, S. (2001h). Complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 21). New York: Random House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freud, S., Freud, A., & Strachey, J. (2005). The essentials of psycho-analysis. New York: Random House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freud, S., & Gay, P. (1995). The Freud Reader. New York: WW Norton & Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gildersleeve, M. (2016). The phenomenology and ontology of complexes. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 217, 967–976.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grier, F. (2005). Oedipus and the Couple. Karnac Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heidegger, M. (1962). Being and time, trans. J. Macquarrie and E. Robinson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heidegger, M. (1996). Being and time (J. Stambaugh, Trans.). SUNY series in contemporary continental philosophy.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heidegger, M. (2000). Being and time (J. Macquarrie, & E. Robinson, Trans.). Harper Collins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heidegger, M. (2001). Zollikon seminars: Protocols, conversations, letters. Evanston: Northwestern University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, G. Y. (1999). ‘Beyond the oedipal complex’: Freud and lacan revisited. Psychodynamic Counselling, 5(4), 453–463.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jung, C. G. (1907). The psychology of dementia praecox (F. Peterson, Trans.). New York: Nervous and Mental Disease Publ. Co.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jung, C. G. (1969). The structure and dynamics of the psyche (R. Hull, Trans.). The collected works of CG Jung, 8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jung, C. G. (1981). The archetypes and the collective unconscious (G. Adler, & R. Hull, Trans.). Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jung, C. G. (2001). Modern man in search of a soul (W. Dell, Trans.). Psychology Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kupfersmid, J. (1995). Does the Oedipus complex exist? Psychotherapy: Theory. Research, Practice, Training, 32(4), 535.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loparic, Z. (1999). Heidegger and Winnicott. Naturezahumana, 1(1), 103–135.

    Google Scholar 

  • Poland, W. S. (2007). Oedipal complexes, Oedipal schemas. American Imago, 64(4), 561–565.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richardson, W. J. (2003). Heidegger and Psychoanalysis? Naturezahumana, 5(1), 9–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spinelli, E. (1996). Martin Heidegger and psychotherapy. Brussels: Society for Existential Analysis, International Federation of Daseinsanalysis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stolorow, R. D., & Atwood, G. E. (1984). Psychoanalytic phenomenology: Toward a science of human experience. Psychoanalytic Inquiry, 4(1), 87–105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Manen, M. (1990). Researching lived experience: Human science for an action sensitive pedagogy. New York: Suny Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Waddell, M. (2003). Coming into one’s own: The Oedipus complex and the couple in late adolescence. Journal of Child Psychotherapy, 29(1), 53–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Matthew Gildersleeve

Authors
  1. Matthew Gildersleeve
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Matthew Gildersleeve .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Counselling and Psychology, Hong Kong Shue Yan University, North Point, Hong Kong

    Man-Tak Leung

  2. East Asia Research Pte. Ltd., Singapore, Singapore

    Lee Ming Tan

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this paper

Cite this paper

Gildersleeve, M. (2016). The Phenomenology and Ontology of the Oedipus Complex. In: Leung, MT., Tan, L. (eds) Applied Psychology Readings. SCAP 2016. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-2796-3_1

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation