Nancy Chodorow - Chapter 4

Asked why women are typically the WHAT caregivers across cultures, and what does this do to WHAT development?

Asked why women are typically the PRIMARY caregivers across cultures, and what does this do to PERSONALITY development?

Girls develop their identity in a WHAT relationship with someone of the WHAT gender (mother)

Girls develop their identity in a CONTINUOUS relationship with someone of the SAME gender (mother)

Boys, by contrast, must WHAT from the mother to form a WHAT identity — pushing them toward WHAT and away from WHAT

Boys, by contrast, must SEPARATE from the mother to form a MASCULINE identity — pushing them toward INDEPENDENCE and away from RELATIONAL CLOSENESS

This produces a key gendered pattern: women tend to develop a more WHAT sense of self; men develop a more WHAT, WHAT-oriented sense of self

This produces a key gendered pattern: women tend to develop a more RELATIONAL sense of self; men develop a more SEPARATE, INDEPENDENCE-oriented sense of self

Men become more anxious about WHAT/WHAT; women become more anxious about WHAT

Men become more anxious about CLOSENESS/DEPENDENCE; women become more anxious about SEPARATION

Critically, Chodorow argues this is not WHAT destiny — it is a WHAT consequence of who tends to do the WHAT

Critically, Chodorow argues this is not BIOLOGICAL destiny — it is a STRUCTURAL consequence of who tends to do the MOTHERING

WHAT extension of the psychodynamic perspective

CONTEMPORARY extension of the psychodynamic perspective

Core claim: personality reflects WHAT ('introjects') of WHAT figures — especially parents — formed early in life

Core claim: personality reflects MENTAL IMAGES ('introjects') of SIGNIFICANT figures — especially parents — formed early in life

These mental images function as templates or 'scripts' for later
WHAT

These mental images function as templates or 'scripts' for later
RELATIONSHIPS

Positive introject (e.g., warm, accepting parent)

Expectation that future relationships will also be warm and accepting

Harsh, judgmental introject

may produce a self-critical adult who feels they can never live up to standards

We carry internalized representations of important people in our lives

These figures 'speak' to us internally and shape behaviour

Example:

• an internalized 'critical inner mother or father' who says, in effect, 'you are only lovable if you act this way'

Even if the real person has passed away or is no longer present, their WHAT influence remains WHAT

Even if the real person has passed away or is no longer present, their INTERNALIZED influence remains STRONG

Lorna Smith Benjamin's research connects extreme versions of these internalized voices to WHAT

Lorna Smith Benjamin's research connects extreme versions of these internalized voices to PERSONALITY DISORDERS

People may WHAT try to 'earn love' from an internalized figure even decades after that real person is WHAT (family in the head)

People may UNCONSCIOUSLY try to 'earn love' from an internalized figure even decades after that real person is GONE

A central goal of many psychodynamic, interpersonal, and cognitive therapies is helping people recognize and loosen the grip of these WHAT

A central goal of many psychodynamic, interpersonal, and cognitive therapies is helping people recognize and loosen the grip of these INTERNALIZED FIGURES

triangulation

Drawing a third person (often a child) into a stressed two-person relationship