I. Attachment Theory Revisited: Challenging Conceptual and Methodological Sacred Cows

Birns, Beverly

doi:10.1177/0959353599009001002

Cited by 23 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 14 publications

(11 reference statements)

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“…There is scope to consider the impact of structural inequality on poorer families (e.g. Birns 1999) that shifts the focus from individual explanations and broadens the current polarised debates about the problematizing of teenage pregnancy. This study adds to the body of qualitative research and provides further analysis of the meanings of motherhood for some young women.…”

Section: Connecting Past and Presentmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘I Wouldn’t Change Having the Children—Not at All.’ Young Women’s Narratives of Maternal Timing: What the UK’s Teenage Pregnancy Strategy Hasn’t Heard

Middleton

2011

Sex Res Soc Policy

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Teenage pregnancy has been the subject of recent policy development within the British government. Viewed from an overwhelmingly negative standpoint, young parenthood is recognised as a feature of impoverished communities while policies focus on technical and educational 'solutions' to reduce the levels of conceptions to under-18. Narrative research was undertaken to listen to the experiences of a small group of young women within individual interviews, with the aim of understanding the meanings of pregnancy for them. Childhood experiences and individual adversity were found to be the structuring features of most of the narratives obtained from the young women. The narratives also revealed a highly restorative aspect to pregnancy and motherhood, connected to overcoming earlier experiences. This appeared to suggest meanings for early pregnancy and parenthood for young women at odds with governmental policy direction, calling into question the focus on reduction that dominates current policy thinking.

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Section: Connecting Past and Presentmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘I Wouldn’t Change Having the Children—Not at All.’ Young Women’s Narratives of Maternal Timing: What the UK’s Teenage Pregnancy Strategy Hasn’t Heard

Middleton

2011

Sex Res Soc Policy

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“…Feminists have long taken issue with the essentialist assumption that the relationship between mother and child is biologically determined rather than socially constructed (Birns, 1999; Bliwise, 1999). Current research suggests complex links among biology, relationship, and social context (Knudson‐Martin & Huenergardt, 2010) and that the development of emotional security includes many factors (Buchanan, 2008).…”

Section: Attachment Theory Deconstructedmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This article considers attachment theory from a feminist perspective. Feminists focus on the interpersonal, historical, and cultural factors that influence life outcomes (Birns, 1999). A feminist view emphasizes the subjectivity of knowledge creation and is interested in the contexts that gave rise to particular theories.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Attachment in Adult Relationships: A Feminist Perspective

Knudson‐Martin

2012

J of Family Theo & Revie

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The author critiques attachment theory through a feminist lens and argues that the focus of attachment theory on relational bonds is consistent with feminist values but that theorists must place attachment processes with the larger societal context such as gender, culture, and power. The article focuses on the historical context, values, and assumptions embedded in attachment theory, then offers 5 guidelines for a feminist application of attachment theory to adult relationships. The article concludes with an illustrative examination of a study of depression, attachment styles, and marital satisfaction.

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“…For example, Birns (1999) has discussed the unreasonable responsibility for a child's well-being and future life that is expected of mothers according to the basic premise underpinning attachment theory that:…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“I thought he was ugly”: Mothers of extremely premature children narrate their experiences as troubled subjects

Widding

Farooqi

2016

Feminism & Psychology

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This article explores the ways in which mothers of extremely premature children make sense of their negative feelings towards their newborn child and their strategies for performing “proper motherhood”. The analysis was guided by discursive psychology and the feminist debate on attachment, mother–infant bonding, and “good motherhood”. The empirical material was created within a sub-study that set out to explore mothers’ and fathers’ experiences of having a premature child and was part of a project investigating the need for support for premature children and their families. Parents were interviewed about the pregnancy, their experiences of the birth and hospital period, the process of going home, the experiences of pre-school and school, and thoughts about the future. The stories of four mothers, which dealt with negative feelings towards their child and the guilt and distress related to this, were selected for analysis. The mothers handled their troubled positions as subjects unable to feel “motherly love” by referring to notions of attachment and bonding, and good motherhood as being loving and caring. Yet, the mothers also talked about motherhood as being socially constructed, as duties that can be performed without the “right motherly feelings”, and as something that men could also perform.

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I. Attachment Theory Revisited: Challenging Conceptual and Methodological Sacred Cows

Cited by 23 publications

References 14 publications

‘I Wouldn’t Change Having the Children—Not at All.’ Young Women’s Narratives of Maternal Timing: What the UK’s Teenage Pregnancy Strategy Hasn’t Heard

‘I Wouldn’t Change Having the Children—Not at All.’ Young Women’s Narratives of Maternal Timing: What the UK’s Teenage Pregnancy Strategy Hasn’t Heard

Attachment in Adult Relationships: A Feminist Perspective

“I thought he was ugly”: Mothers of extremely premature children narrate their experiences as troubled subjects

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