In psychology, a Polycrates complex is a desire to be punished.[1]
Origin
This complex was named after the tyrant Polycrates who, instead of heeding his daughter's prophecy of his impending death, went to visit a treacherous would-be benefactor and was murdered.
Common usage
It is used by psychoanalyst criminologists to explain crime. During the ages 4–6, (the phallic stage), a male child undergoes what Freud calls the "Oedipus complex", meaning the desire to commit incest with one's mother. This desire is the cause of unconscious guilt which makes the child wish to be punished, thus reaching catharsis. Therefore, the criminal act in this context is considered a means to a goal (i.e., punishment).
References
- ^ Wendell Muncie (1946). "Man, Morals and Society. A Psycho-Analytical Study by J. C. Flugel". The Quarterly Review of Biology. 21 (2): 206–208. doi:10.1086/395285. JSTOR 2812590.