Meaning of Complex

What is Complex:

A complex can be union of two or more things to form a wholecan refer to something that is made up of diverse elements, or to a complicated or difficult thing.

The word, as such, comes from Latin complexuspast participle of complete, which means ‘to link’. Hence the term complex refers to linking or uniting different things.

Another meaning of the term complex refers to the set of establishments or facilities that have a common activitysuch as a residential complex, an industrial complex or a university complex.

Complex in psychology

A complex, in psychology, refers to the set of ideas, emotions and tendencies that are repressed in an individual, and that are related to a trauma or an experience experienced in the past.

Complexes influence people’s behavior and their lives in general. Examples of complexes are the Oedipus complex, Electra complex, Narcissus complex, inferiority complex, superiority complex, castration complex, among others.

Oedipus complex

In psychoanalytic theory, the Oedipus complex is one according to which a child, in his early stage of psychosexual development, feels attraction towards the parent of the opposite sex and feelings of hostility and jealousy towards the parent of the same sex, which he sees as competition.

See more about Oedipus Complex.

Electra Complex

In psychology, the Electra complex is one that a girl suffers from during the stage of psychosexual development. It is characterized because she develops an unconscious sexual desire towards her father and jealousy towards her mother.

See more about Electra Complex.

Superiority complex

The unconscious mechanism through which a person seeks to compensate for their inferiority complex by exaggerating or overvaluing their virtues, abilities and qualities is known as a superiority complex.

People with a superiority complex are characterized by being vain and proud, by their susceptibility and tendency to belittle others and their opinions.

Inferiority complex

In the inferiority complex, an individual expresses or harbors the belief that he or she is worth less than other people. Those who suffer from inferiority complex usually have low self-esteem and are persecuted by the idea of ​​being less than others.

See also Inferiority complex.

Complex B

A group of eight B vitamins is known as the B complex: B1, B2, B3, B5, B7, B9 and B12. It is a vitamin complex that serves to keep our body functioning in optimal conditions.

These vitamins are what allow us, for example, to obtain energy from our foods, thanks to the fact that they intervene in the functioning of the metabolism.