castration complex
noun
in Freudian psychoanalytic theory
: a child's fear or delusion of genital injury at the hands of the parent of the same sex as punishment for unconscious guilt over oedipal strivings
broadly
: the often unconscious fear or feeling of bodily injury or loss of power at the hands of authority
Cite this Entry
“Castration complex.” Merriam-Webster.com Medical Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/castration%20complex. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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