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A neural substratum is described that may produce the Oedipus complex and oedipal fantasy. It allows the evocation of fantasy by environmental stimuli, and it permits the production of fantasy independent of environmental conditions. Important components of this neural architecture take on their enduring form, or become mature, during the oedipal period. That is to say, they are myelinating at this time. If our claims are accurate—and given the young child's immersion in a milieu of differently sexed adults
Acknowledgment. I want to thank Sharon Pruett for her assistance in the preparation of this paper.
Dan Forsyth is Professor of Anthropology, University of Southern Colorado, Pueblo, CO.
who are nurturing and frustrating—we have a plausible neurobiological explanation for the nature, creation, and durability of oedipal fantasy.