The term “matrophobia” is derived from two Greek words: “mater” meaning mother, and “phobos” meaning fear. It refers to an irrational and intense fear or aversion towards mothers or motherhood.
Meanings and Concept:
Meaning/Concept
Description
Fear of Motherhood
Matrophobia encompasses a deep-seated fear of the responsibilities, challenges, and emotional aspects associated with becoming a mother.
Negative Feelings Toward Mothers
Individuals with matrophobia may experience intense anxiety, dread, or repulsion when interacting with their own mothers or other maternal figures.
Past Traumatic Experiences
Matrophobia can be rooted in past traumatic experiences related to motherhood, such as difficult relationships with mothers, childhood traumas, or witnessing maternal distress.
Psychological Impact
The phobia can have significant psychological consequences, affecting interpersonal relationships, family dynamics, and overall well-being.
Treatment Approaches
Therapeutic interventions, including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and exposure therapy, may be employed to address and alleviate matrophobia by exploring and challenging underlying fears.
Matrophobia: Definition of a Theoretical Term
Matrophobia is a theoretical term denoting an irrational and intense fear or aversion towards mothers or motherhood. It is characterized by a psychological condition in which individuals experience anxiety, dread, or repulsion when confronted with the prospect of becoming a mother or interacting with maternal figures. The term encapsulates a complex emotional response rooted in past traumatic experiences or deep-seated fears associated with the responsibilities and challenges of motherhood.
Matrophobia: Theorists, Works and Argument
Theorist
Works
Argument
Sigmund Freud
The Interpretation of Dreams
Freud introduced the concept of maternal ambivalence, suggesting that individuals may harbor conflicting feelings of love and resentment towards their mothers, contributing to the development of maternal fears and anxieties.
Melanie Klein
Envy and Gratitude
Klein explored the role of envy in the mother-child relationship, contending that unresolved envy could lead to matrophobia, where individuals project their internal conflicts onto maternal figures, fostering a deep-seated fear or aversion.
Nancy Chodorow
The Reproduction of Mothering: Psychoanalysis and the Sociology of Gender
Chodorow’s work delves into the psychosocial aspects of motherhood, arguing that societal norms contribute to the perpetuation of matrophobia by reinforcing traditional gender roles and influencing the development of anxieties related to maternal responsibilities.
Julia Kristeva
The Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection
Kristeva introduced the concept of maternal abjection, positing that the mother, as a symbol of early dependency, can evoke a sense of horror and rejection. Matrophobia, according to Kristeva, arises from the attempt to distance oneself from the perceived threats associated with maternal influence.
Helene Deutsch
The Psychology of Women: A Psychoanalytic Interpretation
Deutsch contributed to the understanding of matrophobia by exploring the impact of unresolved mother-daughter conflicts on female development. Her work emphasizes the role of early experiences and societal expectations in shaping fears and aversions related to motherhood.
Jessica Benjamin
The Bonds of Love: Psychoanalysis, Feminism, and the Problem of Domination
Benjamin’s feminist perspective examines how power dynamics within the mother-child relationship influence the development of matrophobia. She argues that addressing imbalances in power and fostering mutual recognition are essential for mitigating maternal anxieties.
Matrophobia: Major Characteristics
Fear of Motherhood: Matrophobia is characterized by an intense fear of the responsibilities and challenges associated with motherhood. In literature, this is portrayed in works like Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper, where the protagonist’s descent into madness is linked to her anxieties about becoming a mother.
Conflict and Ambivalence: Matrophobia often involves internal conflicts and ambivalence towards maternal figures. In Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, the protagonist struggles with conflicting emotions and insecurities in the shadow of her deceased husband’s first wife, reflecting a form of matrophobic anxiety.
Projection of Unresolved Issues: Matrophobia may manifest as the projection of unresolved personal issues onto maternal figures. In Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie, the character of Amanda Wingfield exhibits matrophobic tendencies as she imposes her dreams and expectations on her children, unable to reconcile with her own unfulfilled aspirations.
Maternal Abjection: Matrophobia can involve a sense of maternal abjection, where the mother is perceived as a source of horror or repulsion. In Toni Morrison’s Beloved, the character Sethe grapples with the traumatic memories of motherhood, haunted by the ghost of her deceased daughter, symbolizing the abject nature of her maternal experiences.
Impact of Societal Expectations: Matrophobia is influenced by societal norms and expectations surrounding motherhood. In Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar, the protagonist, Esther Greenwood, struggles with societal pressures to conform to traditional roles as a wife and mother, contributing to her mental health deterioration and fear of maternal responsibilities.
It aligns with psychoanalytic perspectives, particularly in the works of Freud and Klein, as it explores the deep-seated fears and unresolved conflicts related to motherhood within the psyche of literary characters.
It is a recurring theme in feminist literary analysis, examining how societal expectations and gender roles contribute to the portrayal of maternal anxieties and the exploration of women’s struggles with motherhood in various literary works.
It invites reader-response engagement by evoking emotional responses and reflections on societal attitudes towards motherhood. Readers may interpret characters’ fears through their own perspectives and experiences, contributing to a diverse range of interpretations.
It may intersect with postcolonial perspectives, exploring how cultural, historical, and colonial influences shape depictions of motherhood and contribute to the development of fears and anxieties within a specific cultural or societal context.
It can be analyzed through a queer theoretical lens, examining how non-normative family structures and identities challenge traditional notions of motherhood, leading to unique expressions of fear or aversion within LGBTQ+ characters or narratives.
These literary theories provide varied frameworks for understanding and interpreting it in literature, highlighting its multifaceted nature and its connections to broader cultural, psychological, and social contexts.
Matrophobia: Application in Critiques
Psychoanalytic Critique:
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Explore characters’ maternal relationships through a psychoanalytic lens, unraveling how unresolved conflicts, maternal ambivalence, or oedipal complexes contribute to the portrayal of matrophobia.
Feminist Critique:
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Apply feminist literary criticism to examine how matrophobia reflects or challenges traditional gender roles and societal expectations imposed on women within an oppressive patriarchal society.
Reader-Response Critique:
Ariel by Sylvia Plath
Explore reader responses to matrophobia, considering how individual experiences and perspectives shape interpretations of Sylvia Plath’s personal struggles with motherhood and mental health.
Postcolonial Critique:
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Apply a postcolonial lens to analyze matrophobia in the context of colonial disruptions to traditional Igbo family structures, impacting characters’ relationships with motherhood.
Queer Critique:
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
Utilize queer theory to analyze how matrophobia intersects with non-normative family structures and LGBTQ+ identities, focusing on societal norms regarding sexuality and family dynamics.