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Adult daughters' reflections on mother: Weaving a separate self
Abstract
Most of the mother-adult daughter literature derives from a quantitative research paradigm, with some exceptions. The qualitative studies focus on specific relationship variables. Little is known about how adult daughters make decisions to individuate or stay connected to their mothers. Moral developmental theorists provide us with the most complete understanding of the dynamics of individuation and attachment in adulthood. The purpose of this study was to discover how adult daughters form unique personhoods, mingling the processes of attachment and individuation, and describing relational endeavors relative to their mothers. This was approached using a multiple case study design. It was through this qualitative case study method that we began to comprehend attachment and individuation operations in the lives of adult daughters, and how these women assigned meaning to and interpreted their experiences, and how they structure their relationships with their mothers. These adult daughters were interviewed using semi-structured questions and probes. Each adult daughter also provided written follow-up testimony. All data were presented in case study form. Each case study involved the verbal and written testimony of each adult daughter woven into a story followed by a clinical analysis. A cross-case analysis was then presented to tie together the underlying themes and relationship dynamics that emerged from the findings. These adult daughters suggested that in their relationships with their mothers they make decisions based on role-complementarity, an interest in strengthening the dyadic bond, and an awareness of the distribution of power in the relationship. Each of the respondents expressed an understanding of the generational patterns present in their cognitive, affective, and interactional styles. Respondents reported a perception that the parent who demonstrated the most warmth and sensitivity was the one most emulated. This study is important because it highlights the emotional and relational processes undertaken by adult daughters as they make decisions about staying connected to and differentiating from their mothers. Identification of these themes should be of interest to both practitioners and researchers constructing clinical interventions and research plans.
Subject Area
Families & family life|Personal relationships|Sociology|Developmental psychology|Social psychology
Recommended Citation
McCarter, Jeannie L, "Adult daughters' reflections on mother: Weaving a separate self" (1999). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9952687.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9952687