Mad Mothers, Bad Mothers, and What a 'Good' Mother Would Do : The Ethics of Ambivalence

When a mother kills her child, we call her a bad mother, but, as this book shows, even mothers who intend to do their children harm are not easily categorized as "mad" or "bad." Maternal love is a complex emotion rich with contradictory impulses and desires, and motherhood is a conflicted state in which women constantly renegotiate the needs mother and child, the self and the other. Applying care ethics philosophy and the work of Emmanuel Levinas, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and Simone de Beauvoir to real-world experiences of motherhood, Sarah LaChance Adams throws the inherent tensions of motherhood into sharp relief, drawing a more nuanced portrait of the mother and child relationship than previously conceived. The maternal example is particularly instructive for ethical theory, highlighting the dynamics of human interdependence while also affirming separate interests. LaChance Adams particularly focuses on maternal ambivalence and its morally productive role in reinforcing the divergence between oneself and others, helping to recognize the particularities of situation, and negotiating the difference between one's own needs and the desires of others. She ultimately argues maternal filicide is a social problem requiring a collective solution that ethical philosophy and philosophies of care can inform. When A Mother Kills Her Child, We Call Her A Bad Mother, But, As This Book Shows, Even Mothers Who Intend To Do Their Children Harm Are Not Easily Categorized As ÒmadÓ Or Òbad.Ó Maternal Love Is A Complex Emotion Rich With Contradictory Impulses And Desires, And Motherhood Is A Conflicted State In Which Women Constantly Renegotiate The Needs Mother And Child, The Self And The Other. Applying Care Ethics Philosophy And The Work Of Emmanuel Levinas, Maurice Merleau-ponty, And Simone De Beauvoir To Real-world Experiences Of Motherhood, Sarah Lachance Adams Throws The Inherent Tensions Of Motherhood Into Sharp Relief, Drawing A More Nuanced Portrait Of The Mother And Child Relationship Than Previously Conceived. The Maternal Example Is Particularly Instructive For Ethical Theory, Highlighting The Dynamics Of Human Interdependence While Also Affirming Separate Interests. Lachance Adams Particularly Focuses On Maternal Ambivalence And Its Morally Productive Role In Reinforcing The Divergence Between Oneself And Others, Helping To Recognize The Particularities Of Situation, And Negotiating The Difference Between OneÕs Own Needs And The Desires Of Others. She Ultimately Argues Maternal Filicide Is A Social Problem Requiring A Collective Solution That Ethical Philosophy And Philosophies Of Care Can Inform. When a mother kills her child, we call her a bad mother, but, as this book shows, even mothers who intend to do their children harm are not easily categorized as “mad” or “bad.” Maternal love is a complex emotion rich with contradictory impulses and desires, and motherhood is a conflicted state in which women constantly renegotiate the needs of mother and child, the self and the other. Applying care ethics philosophy and the work of Emmanuel Levinas, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and Simone de Beauvoir to real-world experiences of motherhood, this book throws the inherent tensions of motherhood into sharp relief, drawing a more nuanced portrait of the mother and child relationship than previously conceived. The maternal example is particularly instructive for ethical theory, highlighting the dynamics of human interdependence while also affirming separate interests. The book particularly focuses on maternal ambivalence and its morally productive role in reinforcing the divergence between oneself and others, helping to recognize the particularities of situation, and negotiating the difference between one's own needs and the desires of others. It ultimately argues maternal filicide is a social problem requiring a collective solution that ethical philosophy and philosophies of care can inform When a mother kills her child, we call her a bad mother, but, as this book shows, even mothers who intend to do their children harm are not easily categorised as 'mad' or 'bad'. The maternal example is particularly instructive for ethical theory, highlighting the dynamics of human interdependence while also affirming separate interests. This book focuses on maternal ambivalence and its morally productive role in reinforcing the divergence between oneself and others, helping to recognise the particularities of situation, and negotiating the difference between one's own needs and the desires of others Sarah LaChance Adams gives a compelling account of maternal ambivalence. Taking the mother's conflicting needs and desires to nurture, on the one hand, and to be independent and free of care-taking responsibilities, on the other, as a model for the ethical relationship, she argues that all human relationships are ambivalent. Moreover, it is this ambivalence that makes them ethical. She shows how the conflict between care and independence is at the heart of all ethical relationships Contents Acknowledgments 1. Mad Mothers, Bad Mothers, and what a “Good” Mother Would Do 2. The Mother as Ethical Exemplar in Care Ethics 3. Motherhood’s Janus Head 4. Maternity as Vulnerability in the Philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas 5. Maternity as Dehiscence in the Flesh in the Philosophy of Maurice Merleau-Ponty 6. Maternity as Negotiating Mutual Transcendence in the Philosophy of Simone De Beauvoir Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index