“We are unbeatable.” The relation between siblings seen as an opportunity or as a retreat: talking about the Oedipus complex—is that old-fashioned?

In the therapeutic encounter with teenagers, one usually finds a protest of some sort against the adult world, if not directed immediately against the parents, at least directed against authorities and other forms of sovereignty. Although there are differences, the common denominator is a charged and painful relation to a sibling. In S. Freud’s writings, the sibling relation mostly deals with rivalry, envy, and alienation. J. Mitchell maintains that the breaking up of the mother–child union, besides being caused by the forbidding father, is brought about mostly by a sibling taking possession of the mother’s love, something that, for the child, is seen as a serious threat. R. Britton says that a sibling relation can never solve the Oedipus complex. The sibling relation, a relation within the same generation, is a relation that is more equal in power and authority. H. Loewald lays stress on the fact that the Oedipus complex can only be solved in the struggle between generations.