The Electra complex is called the competition that arises between the mother and the daughter, in order to want to win the affection of the father. However, it is important to clarify that each one will have very different reasons, as should be obvious. Sigmund Freud was the first to study this relationship, giving it the name of the female Oedipus complex. Later, Carl Jung named it as Electra complex, since it was established that the relationship between father and daughter were not so similar with that of mother and son.
It was Freud who hypothesized that girls feel closer to their mother in the beginning, however, as they discover the differences that exist between the sexes, they recognize the difference in their father and the mother is seen as competition for the affection of the father.
In general, the Electra complex takes place between 3 and 6 years of age, and it is only a temporary phase, since after this the girl again aligns herself with the mother to have her as a role model. It should be noted that this may not occur in an abusive home, or in cases where the mother is blamed for family conflicts or when one or both parents are absent.
If the competition between the daughter and the mother does not cease with the passage of time, one is in the presence of the Electra complex, in which the girl will always look for a male figure that is the closest thing to her father, since she sees in happiness person a figure of authority and protection. It is for this reason that women look to a partner for traits and attitudes similar to those of their father.
In general, mothers and daughters who present this complex tend to live in constant competition, fighting for the affection of the father or partner as the case may be, and as they grow and develop their relationship with the opposite sex, they try to find similarities between your parent and your partners. According to some experts in psychology, those individuals who suffer from Electra complex, it is due to the fact that they never managed to successfully overcome the phallic stage of sexual development in childhood, the one that ends in a reconciliation with their sex and the role of the mother as a role model.
