Laius and/or Odysseus - Divergent Patterns of Intergenerational Conflicts

Abstract

Classical psychoanalysis (Freud) and self-psychology (Kohut) proceed on the assumption that there are different relationship patterns and solutions to conflicts between the generations. The Oedipus myth and the Odyssey portray divergent father-son relationships and their effects on the following generation. In the story of Oedipus, where Freud sees represented the central human conflict, Laius is prepared to kill his son Oedipus for the sake of his own survival. Here the conflict between the generations is to be solved by murder. In the Odyssey, Kohut finds a father-son relationship that shows the alternative model of understanding which is used by self-psychology. Odysseus protects his son Telemachus while putting his own life at stake. There is no wish to murder. On the contrary, the good father-son relationship fosters intrafamilial affiliation and sustains intergenerational continuity. The effects of these different conflict solution patterns either weaken (Laius-Oedipus) or strengthen (Odysseus-Telemachus) the following generation. The divergent basic patterns of intergenerational relationships are questioned with regard to the development of the psychoanalytic societies: Is Freud our Laius or our Odysseus?