The trauma and disillusionment of Oedipus

Bibliographic Data

ID8973043
AuthorsJ F Steiner (0000-0002-6514-6057, Russian State Agrarian Correspondence University, corresponding author), John Steiner
Year2018
Volume99
Issue3
Pages555-568
Publication date2018-04-27
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe International Journal of Psychoanalysis (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0020-7578 • E-ISSN: 1745-8315
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00207578.2018.1452570
PMID33951804
OpenAlexW2800885128
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited10

In the third day of his life Oedipus suffered a violent murderous assault in which his ankles were pierced so that he could be left to die. In fact, he was not only saved, but brought up as their son by the childless King and Queen of Corinth. My hypothesis is that a severe trauma left a significant physical and psychological scar, which was hidden beneath an illusion of a normal childhood. His background, including the cause of the infirmity of his ankles, remained obscure until it was revealed in the course of Sophocles drama. Facing the truth involved an exposure of the way an illusion had served to protect Oedipus not only from the truth of the murder and incest, but also of the fact that he had been severely traumatised. A phantasy of an ideal family commonly may serve as a defence against trauma and, as a result, facing the truth involves relinquishing the idealisation, and this may be experienced as a further trauma. In this paper, I will pay particular attention to the importance of guilt for the victim of early trauma. Severe trauma may block the acceptance of guilt and, hence, prevent the evolution of a benevolent cycle involving forgiveness and reparation

Art · Drama · Forgiveness · Illusion · Literature · Oedipus complex · Personality · Psychoanalysis · Psychoanalytic theory · Psychopathy · Forgiveness and Related Behaviors · Psychology · Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications · Social Psychology