What is an unresolved Oedipal complex?

According to Freud, unresolved oedipal dilemmas and castration anxiety, could lead to homosexuality and other perversions. These often manifest when a boy has a strong attachment to his mother, while the father, for whatever reason, unavails himself to resolve the attachment.

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How was Oedipus conflict resolved?

Resolution of the Oedipus Complex

By holding his father up as a role model, the boy no longer has to fight him. Instead, he learns from him and becomes more like him. It is at this point that the boy develops a superego, the conscience of the personality.