Freud's idea that children manifest erotically tinged desires for their opposite-sex parent, accompanied by hostility toward their same-sex parent, is called which concept?

• A. Electra Complex
• B. Freudian Slip
• C. Oedipal Complex
• D. Penis Envy

Answer: (C)

This is about the Oedipal complex, Freud’s idea that during the phallic stage a child experiences erotic feelings for the opposite-sex parent and hostility toward the same-sex parent. In boys, this means a pull toward the mother and rivalry with the father, which is resolved as the child shifts identification to the father and internalizes societal norms and gender role expectations. The term is named after the Oedipus myth. The Electra complex is the analogue often described for girls, while Freudian slips and penis envy refer to different concepts—unconscious slips of speech and a later Freudian idea about girls desiring male genitalia, respectively. So the described pattern best matches the Oedipal complex.