Topic > Sexuality The Oedipus complex and social constructionist theory

Freud's perspective on sexuality, unlike other approaches, focuses on the sexual orientation of the child. He distinguished the baby sucking the mother's breast as the first form of infantile eroticism. The Oedipus complex contributes immensely to Freud's thesis on sexuality. This suggests that the child unconsciously becomes sexually attached to his mother and hostile to his father. However, the Oedipus complex does not take female sexuality into account. It only forces the rivalry between the boy and his father, as well as the competition that father and son have to have the mother's love. Eventually, the child understands that the father is more dominant and aspires to be like him. Because it focuses on the child and her attention to his mother's Oedipus complex, Freud is criticized by many feminists. Overall, Freud's perspective on sexuality focuses on the sexual nature of the child. Mention the child's hatred for the same-sex parent and love for the opposite-sex parent. But the Oedipus complex does not take female sexuality into account and for this reason it is criticized by many feminists. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Social constructionist theory when referring to sexuality and identity suggests that categories such as "heterosexual" and "homosexual" have ultimately become central to how we understand sexuality. When you are asked about your sexuality, someone's sexual orientation automatically becomes relevant. Sexuality is not only about someone's emotional and sexual attraction to a particular sex, but could also refer to the ability of humans to engage in sexually stimulating experiences, and sexuality can be expressed in many ways, such as behaviors and fantasies. The purpose of sexuality goes beyond reproduction. It is also about how we receive pleasure from our body: “Sexual life includes the function of obtaining pleasure from areas of the body, a function which is subsequently put to the service of reproduction. The two functions often fail to coincide completely." This reinforces the idea that sexuality goes beyond reproduction. Furthermore, the social constructionist view of sexuality distances itself from the debate on the biological bases of sexual desire. Rather, it highlights the fact that all labels in society and the meanings associated with them are found in a particular socio-cultural and historical context. They are socially constructed; they are man-made creations. Foucault argues that sexuality is classified and understood in our culture as more than simple practices of sexual acts, but as a disposition, an identity. It's who we are, not just what we do. “Sexual meanings, sexual doctrines, and sexual beings have been endlessly generated by a culture that has become obsessed with the meaning of the sexual, elevating it to unprecedented dimensions. This further reinforces Foucault's thesis that sexuality is classified and understood in our culture as more than just sexual acts but is part of our identity. This is what we are talking about: “homosexuality appeared as one of the forms of sexuality when it was transposed from the practice of sodomy to a hermaphroditism of the soul. The sodomite had been a temporary aberration; the homosexual was a species." Mention the influence that major institutions—e.g., religion, family, law—have on someone's identity. In the 19th century, homosexuality was a crime, so people were forced to change their identity to be.