Conflict in the transitions to becoming a mother: A psycho-social approach

Author: Hollway, Wendy

Source: Psychoanalysis, Culture & Society, Volume 15, Number 2, July 2010 , pp. 136-155(20)

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Abstract:

In this article I illustrate the central role of dynamic conflict in the identity changes involved in becoming a mother for the first time. I look in depth at two salient themes in Justine's case: the conflicts between mothering and work and those surrounding separation with her daughter. My analysis of this single case is psycho-social; that is, without reducing to either social or psychological explanations, I attempt to articulate the connections among them. The analysis is informed by a psychoanalytic account of conflict-based unconscious intersubjectivity as a foundation for self-formation and demonstrates how these dynamics work across generations to shape a woman's identity as she becomes a mother. I briefly contrast the mother's experience with the father's. Methodologically, I pay attention to the workings of transference dynamics in the interpretation of empirical interview-based data.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/pcs.2009.34

Affiliations: 1: Psychology Department, Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK

Publication date: 2010-07-01