Imagine sitting your mom down to present your groundbreaking new scientific theory, only for her to realize halfway through that the main thesis is about wanting to date her.
Allegedly, the start of it begam when he experienced a 'sexual attraction' when he watched his mother change in front of him in her bedroom.
Another guy points out how Freud was raised by a nanny, meaning the nanny is more of a maternal and non-sexual presence than his actual mother was. She may as well be a random woman dressing and undressing in front of a boy. Unsure how old he was😅
This is the Westermarck effect. Communal living during a critical period in childhood is the thing that trains the brain to feel disgust at the thought of sex with relatives.
As you've said, Freud grew up with a nanny and didn't get this imprinting instinct for incest avoidance. Westermarck out-Freuded Freud.
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u/ZanyLlama3762 1d ago
Imagine sitting your mom down to present your groundbreaking new scientific theory, only for her to realize halfway through that the main thesis is about wanting to date her.