The Oedipus Complex: Solutions or Resolutions?

Freud’s theory of the Oedipus complex is seminal to psychoanalytic theory, but often ignored because of failure to appreciate the nuances. This book seeks to demystify this fascinating topic by exploring the theory in approachable language. In the early pages of the book the author takes us through Freud’s gradual development of his theory and then moves the reader towards a different view as expressed by Melanie Klein. At the end of the first part of the book the author seeks to promulgate the thesis that there is a causal correlation between attachment theory and the Oedipus complex.

In the later pages of the book the author draws on her personal experience of twenty-five years in practice as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist to present a number of case studies of patients, all of whom have suffered from an unresolved Oedipus complex. Each of these individuals had found a different temporary ‘solution’ to make life bearable prior to presenting in therapy, where a more permanent resolution could be worked upon.

The author sets Freud’s theory in its historical and sociological context, but makes the point that, as exemplified in the case studies, we need to view it differently 100 years on.