Final Thoughts on Freud

For example, Freud's "penis envy" theory may not literally mean that little girls want penises. Children think in concrete terms. They do not understand gender roles in society. During most of Freud's life, women had very little respect in society. For much of Freud life, women were not allowed to work and were only educated in subjects of art or nursing (for the battlefield). A girl who wants to do something that a boy wants to do, like study to be a banker, will wonder why she isn't allowed to. Since the little girl is not old enough to understand gender roles, she may see that the boy has a penis and she doesn't. Seeing this, she will want the penis because she believes that it will give her the ability to do what the boys are doing

Another theory that can be viewed differently is the Oedipus complex. This theory may not be as simple as a son wanting to sleep with his mother and kill his father. 

Again, it is important to realize that young children don't see thing abstractly. They see things in very concrete terms. 

If I am friends with a boy named Peter, I am well aware that Peter can be friends with Tom as well. It doesn't make our friendship any less important or invalid. A child may not realize this at first. They will grow attached to their mother, and see that their mother is also attached to their father. A child may dislike or even hate their father because they don't realize that their mother can love both them and their father equally and at the same time. 

The Oedipus complex is a way for children to recognize and deal with inter-personal relationships.

It is important to look at Freudian theories as you should look at life...with an open mind. Freud's theories at first glance may seem ludicrous at first, but I believe that there is more to them than what is insinuated.