Beyond the Oedipus Complex: Mothers and Daughters

Women are often critical of their mothers and identify with their most negative characteristics. Simultaneously, it has also been noted that strong bonds are often established between mothers and daughters. When traditional Oedipal theory is applied to women, it does not take into account sufficiently either the prevalence of daughters’ critical perceptions of their mothers or the strong connections also established between many mothers and daughters. The selfin-relation conceptualization of female development will be used as a context to reconcile these seemingly contradictory observations and to examine women’s development within dynamic inter-relationships in the family and the difficulties encountered in the process. This paper was originally presented at a Stone Center Colloquium on May 7, 1986.