Oedipus complex /ed″ipəs, ē″dəpəs/ [Gk, Oedipus, mythic king who slew his father and married his mother] , 1. (in Freudian psychoanalytic theory) a child’s desire for a sexual relationship with the parent of the opposite sex, usually with strong negative feelings for the parent of the same sex. 2. a son’s desire for a sexual relationship with his mother. Compare Electra complex. See also phallic stage.
