Jocasta complex
A mother's incestuous desire for her son in psychoanalysis.
The Jocasta complex, introduced in psychoanalytic theory in 1920, describes a mother's incestuous sexual desire toward her son. It was named by Raymond de Saussure as the logical converse of the Oedipus complex. The term may also cover domineering but asexual mother love, particularly in the absence of a father.
Quick Facts
- Introduced by
- Raymond de Saussure
- Year introduced
- 1920
- Named after
- Jocasta, Queen of Thebes
- Related concept
- Oedipus complex
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- Atossa, in the Greek tragedy The Persians, has been seen as struggling in her dreams with a Jocasta complex.
- Some American folk-tales often feature figures, like Jocasta, expressing maternal desire for their sons.
- Examples of the complex in media include Psycho, The House That Screamed, Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker, Bates Motel, and a Japanese light novel.
Analytic discussion
Theodor Reik viewed the Jocasta mother, who lacks an adult relationship and is over-concerned for her child, as a prime source of neurosis. George Devereux argued that the child's Oedipal complex is triggered by a pre-existing parental complex. Eric Berne explored related family dramas, such as a mother sleeping with her daughter's boyfriend when she has no son to play Jocasta with. Bracha L. Ettinger's feminist articulation criticises the classical psychoanalytic perception of Jocasta and the Oedipal model.
More in Words and Phrases Derived from Greek Mythology
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced