The process of parenting and the remembrance of things past

Abstract

Mothers' developing representations of the child and of caregiving are examined in light of their early attachment representations. The influence of mothers' remembrances and repetitions of the past are traced from their narrative descriptions of early childhood, to their descriptions of the emotional aspects of pregnancy and the unborn child, to their depictions of early caregiving. Three mothers were followed from pregnancy through their child's second year in a longitudinal study of attachment and parental representation. Adult Attachment Interviews and other representational interviews collected at repeated intervals during pregnancy and early infancy provide a backdrop for a discussion of the complex interplay of structure, fantasy, and affect in processes of intergenerational transmission and repetition of the past, and in the development of parental representations of the child. Patterns and modes of representation in secure and insecure mothers are contrasted. Dyads demonstrating concordance between mother and child attachment status as well as those demonstrating discordance are examined.

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