complex In classical (Freudian) psychoanalytic
theory, the fear associated with loss of one's genitals. In the male the complex
is supposedly manifested as anxiety surrounding the possibility of loss, in
females as the guilt over having already experienced the loss. The original
position with regard to males has, of course, been critiqued rather severely but
is still, generally speaking, a part of the standard psychoanalytic theory; the
position with regard to females has been so vigorously attacked, especially by
female
analysts, that it is rarely taken seriously any longer.