Developing a Maternal Identity: Theoretical, Developmental and Clinical Considerations.

This paper considers maternal subjectivity and maternal identity development through our work in an urban clinical setting where women present for treatment during the perinatal period. Drawing on a rich tradition of psychoanalytic observational research and mother-infant communication research, which supported the relational turn, we aim to shift the lens from mothers as important to their baby's development, to maternal experiences as essential. Likewise, noting that a mother cannot exist without a baby, real or imagined, we consider the role of a baby in a mother's own development. Tracing roots of maternal subjectivity in psychoanalytic traditions, while also noting its absence, we hope to offer ways to formulate maternal identity that are clinically useful and grounded in research, and reflective of our contemporary positions. Case examples further illustrate the utility of narrative measures, including the Adult Attachment Interview, in clinical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]