You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
He whom I killedHad sought to kill me first. The lawAcquits me innocent, as ignorant,Of what I did.
In analytic literature it is usual to find the father presented in a negative light focusing either on his authoritarian aspect or on him as an abuser in incest. A few studies, such as Layland (1981, 1984), have attempted to explore the more positive side of the father's role. In this paper I wish to explore this emphasis on the negative as it is enacted through rivalry, but also to make suggestions about how this ubiquitous complex is helpful in the boy's development.
I intend to look at the father's role in the development of his son's Oedipus phase. My point is that the father's rivalry with his son has profound effects on how the latter's oedipal development progresses. It is not my intention to suggest that the father's rivalry causes