Imagining parental sexuality: The experimental study of Freud’s primal scene.

Abstract

The results of 3 studies are reported designed to test the hypothesis that priming identification with the oedipal "winner" or "loser" in the Oedipal situation will unconsciously bias conscious sexual morality in predictable ways. These studies extend research by Hunyady, Josephs, and Jost (2008) that demonstrated that priming oedipal defeat led men to endorse significantly more prohibitive attitudes toward infidelity. Study 1 demonstrated that priming identification with the injured third party in both the primal scene and an adult infidelity scenario significantly decreased male participants' permissive attitudes toward pornography. Study 2 demonstrated that priming identification with the victim of oedipal betrayal in the primal scene increased the accessibility to consciousness of sexually derogatory words such as "whore" or "prick" as assessed through a word completion task. Study 3 demonstrated that priming oedipal victory had the opposite effect of priming oedipal defeat. Priming oedipal victory in the primal scene made attitudes toward infidelity significantly more permissive. In sum, priming oedipal defeat or victory by having participants imagine scenes of parental sexuality unconsciously biases conscious sexual morality in predictable ways in line with Freudian theory of the impact of primal scene observation on the child's state of mind.

Attachment and the Oedipus complex: Attachment orientations moderate the effects of priming oedipal representations on sexual attraction.

“…In addition, our oedipal picture might have directly reactivated sexual longing for a maternal figure, but not necessarily the conflict created by oedipal reactions to the other parent (e.g., oedipal defeat vs. victory). However, there is experimental evidence showing that participants’ sexual and relational responses to reactivation of oedipal residues depend on the extent to which this reactivation implies identification with either the “winner” or the “loser” in the oedipal situation (e.g., Hunyady, Josephs, & Jost, 2008; Josephs, Katzander, & Goncharova, 2018). Future studies should examine whether attachment orientations also moderate the effects that primes of oedipal defeat and primes of oedipal victory have on sexual and relational responses.…”

Children’s affectionate and assertive attitudes towards their parents: the Oedipus complex or parent-offspring conflict?

“…A higher frequency of sexual behaviors in children was found to be discriminating sexually abused children from normative and psychiatric outpatient children samples (Friedrich et al, 2001). Furthermore, evidence that parents being the primary target of sexual curiosity and desire for genital stimulation, which is essential for the Oedipus complex, is actually lacking (Josephs et al, 2018). Siblings, other children, and even animals could be alternative targets of childhood sexual curiosity and sexuality.…”

“…As I proposed, the ability to have triadic representations and capacity for jealousy as frequently seen in the Oedipus complex could be the result of ongoing parent-offspring conflict or sibling competition. Furthermore, the evidence regarding childhood sexual curiosity and desire for genital stimulation towards the parents is empirically missing (Josephs et al, 2018). Partial support regarding the Oedipus complex can be explained by other theoretical frameworks like evolutionary biology and psychology, and limited support in favor of the Oedipus complex is not strong enough to propose that the Oedipus complex is an independent evolutionary adaptation.…”