It is this struggle of feelings between love and hate that causes feelings of guilt to take hold in the child. Caught between two distinct emotions, the child will continue to compete with the parent of the opposite sex or move on to the next stage of the Oedipus or Electra complex. Assuming that the child continues to compete with the same-sex parent, he or she will eventually withdraw his or her efforts once he or she realizes that his or her rival is the preferred mate and will focus his or her efforts on the next step in one of two processes known as