The Potential Violence of the Mother's Grip on the Child

Children are cast into the world in a state of immaturity and total dependence, thoroughly bound over to maternal care. The child can, with the help of a good mother who is up to the task, become an autonomous subject. However, an all-powerful mother can maintain a crushing grip on the child’s body and psyche, especially when that child is a girl appearing to the mother as a rival. All this is compounded by the cultural dimension which (as for example in Algeria) determines that the girls’ bodies be subject to strict parental surveillance.A clinical illustration shows how difficult it can be to gain release from this maternal grip.