Father complex
In psychology, father complex, also called daddy issues,[1] is a group of unconscious associations or impulses related to a fatherly figure. These impulses may be either positive (wanting older men) or negative (fearful).
Freud vs. Jung
[change | change source]Sigmund Freud (and psychoanalysts after him) saw the father complex as an aspect of the Oedipus complex.[2] In contrast, Carl Jung believed that both men and women had a father complex.[3]
Examples
[change | change source]The concept of father complex is a common theme in popular culture. For instance, Czesław Miłosz wrote of Albert Einstein,[4]
everything about him appealed to my father complex, my yearning for a protector and leader.
Bob Dylan's choice of his acting name has been linked to the father complex, as a rejection of his actual father and his paternal name.[5][6] before leaving each one behind again in turn.[7] Meanwhile, English novelist D. H. Lawrence dismissed the idea of the father complex as having been applied to himself,[8] calling it a fool's complex.[8]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Lindsay, Jessica (September 13, 2018). "What are 'daddy issues' and why do some men avoid or look for partners with them?". Metro.co.uk. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
- ↑ Jon E. Roeckelein, Elsevier's Dictionary of Psychological Theories (2006) p. 111
- ↑ Mary Ann Mattoon, Jung and the Human Psyche (2005) p. 91
- ↑ Czeslaw Milosz, Native Realm (1981) p. 282
- ↑ Daniel Karlin, in Neil Corcoran ed., Do You, Mr Jones? (London 2002) p. 41
- ↑ Craig McGregor ed., Bob Dylan: A Retrospective (1975) p.44
- ↑ bob dylan, poem to joannie (1972) p. 7-8
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Witter Bynner, Journey with Genius (1974) p. 156
