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Jung suggested that the Electra complex was the girl's counterpart to the Oedipus complex (Jung 1913, para 348). In this paper I am using the Electra complex as a springboard by first examining the myth, then developing and expanding this idea to look at the psychological development of women. I comment on Electra in the light of the revival of primitive anxieties during adolescence; cultural and ideological implications are touched on, also the importance of the girl owning both the masculine and feminine aspects of herself and the implications for women developing in a patriarchal culture. I illustrate the paper with case material from women in an analytic practice. I also acknowledge the importance of culture and social structure as important variables in individual development. Finally, I comment on the importance of seeing how influences on women are based on patriarchal values which call for collation, review, and further understanding of men and women's fears of each other.
While preparing to write about Electra, I listened to the opera Elektra by Richard Strauss. I was impressed by the emotional dissonance in the music. This suggests the discord that is prominent in the story, and led to reflections on the anguish of relinquishing (i.e. sacrificing) the anticipated pleasure of incestuous bonds. The story of Electra inspired several Greek dramatists from as early as 438 BC, which suggests that the personal struggles depicted in the story are an activation of archetypal structures. The work of Aeschlyus (1982),