Motherhood, Childhood, and Selfhood

'In this compelling exploration of modern motherhood and childhood, Dr. Mali Mann draws on her extensive experience as a psychoanalyst to illuminate the complex realities confronting today’s families. This bookdelves into the evolving landscape of parenting, where the challenges of infertility, cultural dislocation, and shifting family dynamics intertwine with psychodynamic themes of attachment and identity. Dr. Mann candidly addresses the often-unspoken experiences of shame that can accompany motherhood, offering fresh perspectives that resonate with both historical and modern psychoanalytic thought. Through rich clinical narratives, she highlights the emotional complexities mothers face today, illuminating how these struggles ahape their children’s psychological development. This book is an essential resource for psychoanalysts andfamily practitioners alike, offering profound insights into the dynamics of modern motherhood and the intricate journey of raising healthy children in an increasingly complex world.' -Anne Adelman, PhD, Editor, JAPA Review of Books; Co-chair, New Directions in Writing; Co-editor, When The Garden Isn’t Eden: More Psychoanalytic Stories from Life, with Kerry Malawista and Linda Kanefield (2022).<'This is a widely ranging book that focuses on contemporary issues regarding procreating, parenting, and children’s experiences. Dr. Mann brings her deep and longstanding interests in the psychological aspects of non-traditional families, immigrant families, and technological advances in reproductive assistance to bear on these vital issues for psychoanalysts and other mental health clinicians. Her moving and compelling clinical vignettes constitute the core of this volume.' -Steve Goldberg, MD, Training & Consulting Psychoanalyst, San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis; Co-editor, Opera on the Couch: Music, Emotional Life, and Unconscious Aspects of Mind, with Lee Rather (2022)