"Boys And Girls: The Development Of Gender Roles"

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the child's emotional attachment to her/his parent
of the same sex and, as consequence, the child's gender identification.
I would agree with Freud's statement that children undergo a certain
emotional crisis after becoming aware of their genitals. It must be somewhat
frustrating for, e.g., a three year-old to realize that reaching a pleasurable
emotional state does not necessarily have to originate from her/his mother.
Unable to cognitively create an explanation to a new, unexpected flow of
circumstances and feelings, the child is most likely to end up confused. This
confusion will inevitably provoke anxiety, and the anxiety will build up an
emotional tension.
However, I would dare to argue at this point that the reason for a child
to seek identification with one of the parents might come not from castration
fear in boys or penis envy in girls, but rather from the child's belief that the
person of the same sex (father for boys and mother for girls) will know how to
protect ...

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