ABSTRACT
In this chapter the author discusses some of her thoughts from consulting to organizations. She suggests that coming to grips with the Oedipus complex allows us to develop a capacity for thought and also to develop an awareness of our roles in the world, in personal as well as in organizational life. She deals with a discussion of emotional and psycho-social development of role and then re-visits the Oedipus story, stressing the complex psychological conundrums and management strategies that Sophocles outlines for a range of his characters over a series of plays. The author presents thoughts about the realities of the Oedipus complex in organizational life. The issues are first grappled with as part of the essential developmental task of early childhood—the resolution of the Oedipus complex, which will lead to maturation and socialization. Managing the emotional and cognitive work associated with oedipal development is a life-long task, not one achieved solely in childhood or adolescence.
