Do sons compete with fathers for the affection of their mothers? Was Sigmund Freud right about repressed desires of young boys to sexually posses their mothers? According to Freud’s Oedipus Complex; during the phallic stage (ages three to six) sons subconsciously wish to sleep with their mother and to kill the father. However, the child realizes that acting on these feelings would lead to danger, and thus represses the desire. This repression leads to anxiety. This is resolved latter on in life when the child identifies with the same sex parent (the father). However, according to Freud; when a son becomes “mother fixated” during the Oedipal stage oftentimes this will carry on into adult life leading to the choice of a sexual partner that resembles the mother.
