The Oedipus complex is a central concept in Freudian psychoanalytic theory, which posits that a child's psychological development is shaped by unconscious sexual desires and conflicts, particularly towards their parents.

As discussed in the podcast episodes '66192' and '65385', Freud believed the Oedipus complex was the underlying source of various cultural and religious practices, such as totemism and exogamy, as well as the development of individual neuroses and moral restrictions.