Origins

This complex was named after the tyrant Polycrates of Samos who, instead of heeding his daughter's prophecy of his impending death, went to battle and was killed.

Common Usage

It is used by Psychoanalyst Criminologists to explain crime. During the ages 4-6, namely The Phallic Stage in psychosexual development, a male child undergoes what Freud calles the "Oedipus Complex", meaning the desire to kill one's father and commit incest with one's mother. This desire is the cause of subconscious 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).