The monster within : the hidden side of motherhood / Barbara Almond

Author: Almond, Barbara
Published: Berkeley : University of California Press, [2010]
Copyright Date: ©2010
Physical Description: 1 online resource (xxvi, 265 pages)

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Language Note

English.

Contents

The ubiquity of maternal ambivalence -- Motherlove: the power of maternal desire -- The subtle ambivalence of the too-good mother -- "Before the beginning": women's fears of monstrous births -- Women's reproductive fears: more clinical examples -- Rachel's story: internalized ambivalence and the dangers of hidden guilt -- Whose fault is it? The externalization of ambivalence -- When fears are realized -- From the child's point of view -- Vampyric mothering: from stage moms to invasive moms -- The darkest side of motherhood: child murder -- What happens later: the fate of maternal ambivalence -- What's a mother to do?

Summary

Whether it is uncertainty over having a child, fears of pregnancy and childbirth, or negative thoughts about one's own children, mixed feelings about motherhood are not just hard to discuss, they are a powerful social taboo. In this beautifully written book, Barbara Almond draws on her extensive clinical experience to bring this highly troubling issue to light. In a compelling portrait of the hidden side of contemporary motherhood, she finds that ambivalence of varying degrees is a ubiquitous phenomenon, yet one that too often causes anxiety, guilt, and depression. Weaving together case histor.

Subject(s)

ISBN

9780520947207 (electronic bk.)
0520947207 (electronic bk.)
1282660810
9781282660816
9780520267138 (cloth ; alk. paper)
0520267133 (cloth ; alk. paper)
9786612660818
6612660813

Bibliography Note

Includes bibliographical references (pages 251-254) and index.

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