If a girl often places herself between her mother and father, pretending to physically separate them, or reacts negatively to their affection for each other, that daughter may have an Electra complex. This refers to a state that girls go through during their growth and which consists of the development of an affective preference towards their father. What ends up being translated into a feeling of hostility and rivalry against her mother.
This stage usually begins around the age of three or four and should end before the age of seven, approximately. If not resolved, this paternal preference that characterizes the Electra complex can last until adulthood and entails certain consequences in the way that daughter relates, for example, by falling into a tendency to dependent affective bonds.
The Electra complex is characterized by a series of highly marked emotional processes and behavioral dynamics. Therefore, it will not be difficult to identify if attention is paid to a series of manifestations of this stage and that, as a whole, betray these cases.
Keep calm and be patient, that is the recommendation of the psychologist María Hurtado Sayas about how parents should respond to a daughter who presents the Electra complex. When the girl is passing this phase, her parents will usually feel confused. However, you should not give it too much importance, but take the situation calmly. She also remembers the need not to "ridicule the rivalry that the girl tries to establish."
The most normal thing is that the daughter with the Electra complex realizes on her own and gradually what is really the appropriate bond that she must share with her father. If necessary, it is advisable to see a specialist who will evaluate the case and guide the family.
