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Oedipus the King

Quest for self‐knowledge – denial of reality. Sophocles’ vision of man and psychoanalytic concept formation

Bibliographic Data

ID8971505
AuthorsAnders Zachrisson (Psychological DepartmentUniversity of OsloPost‐Box 1094Blindern, N‐0317 OsloNorway, corresponding author)
Year2012
Volume94
Issue2
Pages313-331
Publication date2012-09-26
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe International Journal of Psychoanalysis (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0020-7578 • E-ISSN: 1745-8315
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.1745-8315.2012.00655.x
PMID23560905
OpenAlexW1924603186
LanguageEN
Citations received8
References cited9

In the Oedipus myth we find a dramatic representation of the child's passionate ties to its parents. In the play Oedipus the King, Sophocles relates the theme of the myth to the question of self-knowledge. This was the predominant reading in German 19th century thinking, and even as a student Freud was fascinated by Oedipus' character - not primarily as the protagonist of an oedipal drama, but as the solver of divine riddles and as an individual striving for self-knowledge. Inspired by Vellacott, Steiner has proposed an alternative reading of Oedipus the King as a play about a cover-up of the truth. The text supports both these arguments. The pivotal theme of the tragedy is Oedipus' conflict between his desire to know himself and his opposing wish to cover up the truth that will bring disaster. It is this complex character of Oedipus and the intensity of his conflict-ridden struggle for self-knowledge that has made the tragedy to a rich source of inspiration for psychoanalytic concept formation and understanding both of emotional and cognitive development up to our own time

Art · Character (mathematics · Denial · Drama · Literature · Mythology · Oedipus complex · Psychoanalysis · Psychoanalytic theory · Reading (process · Theme (computing · Tragedy (event · Child Therapy and Development · Counseling, Therapy, and Family Dynamics · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Representations and Identity

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    Open Access•J F Steiner, John Steiner•The Psychoanalytic Quarterly•2016

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    Open Access•Rachel B Blass, Rachel Β Blass•The International Journal of…•2006

Unique citing works8
Citations per year0,62
Citation span2013 - 2018 (6)
Citation velocityhistorical
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 8

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