Which Freudian concept explains the development of the superego via identification with the same-sex parent?

Which Freudian concept explains the development of the superego via identification with the same-sex parent?

• A. Oedipus complex
• B. Electra complex
• C. Penis envy
• D. Latency stage

Answer: (A)

This is about how the superego forms through identifying with the same-sex parent during the phallic stage. In boys, the Oedipus complex describes having unconscious wishes for the mother and viewing the father as a rival. To resolve this tension, the boy adopts the father’s norms, values, and rules, internalizing them as his own conscience—the superego. This identification with the father instills moral standards that guide behavior and generate feelings of guilt when norms are violated. The other ideas aren’t the same mechanism: the Electra complex is a female counterpart term that isn’t the central Freudian mechanism for superego development; penis envy relates to girls’ suggested motives rather than forming the superego via same‑sex identification; and the latency stage is a calmer period, not the stage where the superego is formed through parental identification.

This is about how the superego forms through identifying with the same-sex parent during the phallic stage. In boys, the Oedipus complex describes having unconscious wishes for the mother and viewing the father as a rival. To resolve this tension, the boy adopts the father’s norms, values, and rules, internalizing them as his own conscience—the superego. This identification with the father instills moral standards that guide behavior and generate feelings of guilt when norms are violated.

The other ideas aren’t the same mechanism: the Electra complex is a female counterpart term that isn’t the central Freudian mechanism for superego development; penis envy relates to girls’ suggested motives rather than forming the superego via same‑sex identification; and the latency stage is a calmer period, not the stage where the superego is formed through parental identification.