Family Romances Summary and Analysis

A central theme of all of Freud's work is the conflict and relationships within the family. In this essay, Freud focuses on the development of basic romantic attachments and fantasies between children and family members, especially parents. As Freud says, the progress of civilization, history, is the process of one generation superseding another. Similarly, the process of growth of children in the family involves the desire of the children to supersede and overcome their parents. This developmental process follows several noticeable stages. In the first, the child feels that siblings or other people are taking love from his parents that should belong to the child alone. In this stage, the child will often fantasize that he or she is actually an adopted child or the child of adultery. In the next stage, which Freud calls the "family romance of...