Oedipus Rex - Destiny and our Unconscious Mind

Oedipus Rex is an ancient Greek tragedy written by Sophocles in the 5th century BC. It tells the story of a young man who unwittingly kills his father and marries his mother—a crime for which he is punished severely by the gods. In some interpretations, it is seen as a cautionary tale about hubris—the idea that humans should not attempt to go against fate or challenge their gods. But in many modern interpretations of the play, it is seen as an exploration of how our own unconscious desires can lead us down dangerous paths without us even being aware of them.

The stry of Oedipus has been used since Freud's time as an illustration of his psychoanalytic concepts—including repression, denial, and projection. In particular, Freud saw parallels between Oedipus’ unwitting incestuous relationship with his mother and killing of his father and what he called the Oedipal complex—a set of unconscious sexual and murderous desires toward one's parents which Freud believed were universal among humans. He believed that such repressed desires could manifest themselves in various ways—often leading to neurosis if they weren't properly addressed in therapy.

However, the story of Oedipus could also be viewed through through a relational psychoanalytic lens, emphasising the role of early childhood trauma and the unconscious communications transmitted by the parents that the infant is called to make sense of. If you want to find out more about this fascinating story and its relational dimension, please listen to Dr Anastasios Gaitanidis’ interview with Dr Maria Kempinska. Here is the link:

https://soundcloud.com/womensradiostation/your-mind-matters-anastasios-gaitanidis-oedipus-myth-destiny-300123?si=9ecc8aca1c4f48c89a1d8df120f310b0&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing