College
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Philosophy and Religious Studies
Rank
Associate Professor
Chapter 35. Maternal Ambivalence
Type of Work
Book Chapter
Publication Information
ADAMS, S. L. (2021). Maternal Ambivalence. In A. O’Reilly (Ed.), Maternal Theory: Essential Readings, The 2nd Edition (pp. 571–582). Demeter Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv1s2t0hn.39
Description of Work
The mother-child relationship is usually considered in retrospect, from the point of view of the child, and for the sake of diagnosing adult pathology. Ambivalence is typically attributed to the infant, child, neurotic or psychotic. In contrast, I argue that maternal ambivalence has constructive potential. It is neither a moral, nor a psychological failure. Rather, it can positively contribute to the relationship between mother and child, and enhance the mother’s own psychological development.
Rights Statement
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Chapter 35. Maternal Ambivalence
The mother-child relationship is usually considered in retrospect, from the point of view of the child, and for the sake of diagnosing adult pathology. Ambivalence is typically attributed to the infant, child, neurotic or psychotic. In contrast, I argue that maternal ambivalence has constructive potential. It is neither a moral, nor a psychological failure. Rather, it can positively contribute to the relationship between mother and child, and enhance the mother’s own psychological development.
Accessibility Statement
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Biographical Statement
Sarah LaChance Adams is Florida Blue Distinguished Professor and Director of the Florida Blue Center for Ethics. She is also the Managing Editor for Hypatia: A Journal of Feminist Philosophy. Mad Mothers, Bad Mothers, and What a “Good” Mother Would Do: The Ethics of Ambivalence (Columbia 2014); and is the coeditor of three anthologies: Coming to Life: Philosophies of Pregnancy, Childbirth and Mothering (Fordham, 2012), New Philosophies of Sex and Love: Thinking through Desire (RLI, 2016). She has reviewed articles, research proposals, and dissertations for institutions in Australia, Israel, Canada, and the United States.