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The update of the Oedipus Complex in the relationship with the baby: evidence from a case study

The Oedipus Complex is a central concept in psychoanalytic theory, which is at the core of psychopathology, as it has a primary role in the human being's psychic constitution and in the direction of his desire. As far as girls are concerned, Freud stressed the importance of the preoedipal period which would be the prototype for future relationships, including mother-child relationships. Through a case study of a primiparous woman, we aim to illustrate the Oedipus Complex's actualization from when the pregnancy was discovered. This allowed us to think of the phallicization of a child through Freud's symbolic equation phallus-baby. We base our discussion on the supposition of a phallic place for the baby through transitivist maternal movements when the mother translates that which the baby allows her to see.

Oedipus complex; Subjective constitution; Motherhood


Programa de Pós-Graduação em Psicologia, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Campinas Editora Splendet, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Campinas, Campus I, Rua Prof. Dr. Euryclides de Jesus Zerbini, 1516, Pq. Rural Fazenda Santa Cândida, Telefone: (55 19) 3343-7223. - Campinas - SP - Brazil
E-mail: psychologicalstudies@puc-campinas.edu.br