Freud: spends hours and hours dissecting phallic fish, looking for actual phalluses but failing to find them.
Later, Freud: everything is subconsciously phallic imagery! I ^H^HPeople constantly imagine phalluses even when they're not aware that's what they're doing!
On my mind, lately, as my wife & I are pressed fully into the sandwich generation:
Teens often subconsciously "soil the nest" - creating increased conflict and emotional distance as a mechanism which makes the transition to independence feel easier for everyone.
The inverse exists with aging parents. As the caregiver roles reverse, they rebel against loss of independence in ways that often are against their own self-interest, making it harder for everyone else.