The concept of maternal rage exposes the cultural myth of the selfless mother, highlighting the emotional complexities of motherhood. Maternal rage arises from chronic exhaustion, identity fragmentation, and societal pressures, rather than being a sign of pathology. Matrescence, a term coined in 1973, describes the significant transformation a mother undergoes, akin to adolescence, yet it remains poorly recognized within medical frameworks. This misunderstanding contributes to the stigma surrounding maternal emotions, particularly anger, which has been increasingly acknowledged by feminist theorists and mental health professionals as a normal reaction to the challenges of parenting.
Maternal rage can be understood as a reaction to unmet needs, structural abandonment, and the impossible demands placed on mothers, especially in the early stages of matrescence.
Motherhood is often portrayed through the image of the self-sacrificing and blissful mother, obscuring the truth that it can be much messier and include intense emotions like rage.
Matrescence is a profound biopsychosocial transformation marking a dramatic shift in identity, emotion, and embodiment, yet it is often misunderstood as pathology.
The taboo surrounding maternal anger has been challenged over the decades, recognizing that emotional contradictions in caregiving, including rage, are legitimate responses to the pressures of motherhood.
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