The source of tension and gratification moves to the genitals. The child derives pleasure in manipulating the genitals, which the parent discourages. This stage is marked by major conflicts in the life of the child. These processes are discussed as
Oedipus complex (among boys)
Electra complex (among girls)
Freud proposed that all children experience a desire to have sexual relationship with the parent of opposite sex; boys with their mother and girls with their father. This desire makes parent of the same sex an enemy; for girls the mother is an enemy and for boys the father is an enemy. Little boy would want his father eliminated so that he can have his mother all to himself. Similarly, the girl wants her mother to be eliminated so that she can have the father to herself.
The Oedipus and Electra complex are unconscious. The ego fears the consequence of expressing these feelings. Since the parent of same sex is a powerful adult with whom the child cannot compete, he seeks partial satisfaction by identifying with the same sex parent. Boys try to be as much like their father as possible and girls like their mothers. This way, the child enjoys the fact that he/she is as much like the same sex parent whom the opposite sex parent loves. This process is known as “identification”.
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