castration complex

castration complex definition - medical

castration complex

noun
  1. In psychoanalytic theory, a child's fear of injury to the genitals by the parent of the same sex as punishment for unconscious guilt over oedipal feelings.
  2. An unconscious fear of injury from those in authority.

The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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