The "Devouring" Mother This mother archetype tends to love selfishly, and not selflessly. Although this is done with the intention of protecting them from the ills and evils of the world, it often results in her children feeling suffocated or constrained.
Jordan Peterson calls the pathological version of motherhood the “Devouring Mother,” since this mother devours her children's potential along with her own fulfillment. Peterson typically focuses this analysis on the danger of overprotection in our parenting, wherein we protect our children out of their own competence.
The hungry and devouring Mother is an all-consuming figure. The Mother Shadow is illuminated in both the feminine aspect of the self and the masculine aspect of the self. Experiences of insatiable thirst or hunger carry components of fear, loneliness, and dependency.
The devouring mother 'consumes' her children emotionally and psychologically and often instills in them feelings of guilt at leaving her or becoming independent. She loves her children selfishly instead of selflessly and is emotionally manipulative making the child incompetent and dependent.
A good example of the Terrible Mother archetype is the black-skinned Hindu goddess Kali. Her eyes are described as red with absolute rage, her hair disheveled, and small fangs sometimes protrude out of her mouth.
Famous examples of the Mother Archetype are: Virgin Mary. Mary Poppins. Lady Diana.
While we all think of the mother figure in one specific way, her role doesn't necessarily have to abide by standard societal behaviors. For example, the mother figure in Hamlet, who happens to be Hamlet's mother, is not selfless. She has a difficult time putting her wants and needs aside in order to help her son.
The Tyrannical Father/Devouring Mother come from Jung's interpretations of the shadow aspects of the father and mother archetypes. They are the narcissistic parent who dominates and consumes their children psychologically.
“The devouring mother archetype is one that can be described as a woman who selfishly loves her children, “protecting” them from the real world to such an extent that they become permanent infants— incompetent wards of the mother for life.
MD. Overbearing mothers hover, criticize, and overstep boundaries, which can lead to a host of challenges for their adult children including low self-esteem, dependence, and perfectionism. These mothers may think they are doing what's best for their children, but ultimately their hovering causes harm.
The Devouring Mother Term Analysis
The “devouring mother” is co-dependent and “consumes” her children, particularly her sons, emotionally and psychologically. She seeks fulfillment through her children because the feminine mystique has convinced her that her identity is inseparable from her roles as wife and mother.
Toxic moms may suffer from mental or psychological disorders that affect their ability to meet their children's needs. They may also have been victims of toxic parenting themselves, and are repeating the relationship patterns they grew up with.
If your mother constantly criticises your appearance and life choices without ever praising you, that will take a toll on your mental well-being. A parent-child relationship where the parent is constantly negative about everything else, even if she praises you, is also toxic.
A narcissistic mother will display traits characteristic of narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). They view their children as an extension of themselves and only invest in a child's well-being to the extent that it enhances their own.
In the western world, the dark mother has become taboo–“dark,” meaning the capacity for mothers to frustrate, neglect or harm their children. Women are expected to deny their capacity for darkness and children are expected to remain silent about any negative experiences with their mothers.
Definition: A group of feeling-toned ideas associated with the experience and image of mother. The mother complex is a potentially active component of everyone's psyche, informed first of all by experience of the personal mother, then by significant contact with other women and by collective assumptions.
The Mother archetype takes the form of personal mother, grandmother, stepmother, mother in law, nurse, governess. It can be fulfilled in figurative Mothers such as Mary Mother of God, Sophia, or the Mother who becomes a maiden again in the myth of Demeter and Kore.
Considering multiple parenting styles and maltreatment, remembered parental overprotection, overvaluation and leniency appeared to be associated with higher narcissistic traits in young people.
A narcissistic mother is unable to give their child the full attention and validation they need to feel loved and emotionally secure. This may impact the child's beliefs, behaviors, and self-esteem well into adulthood.
We demonstrate that narcissism in children is cultivated by parental overvaluation: parents believing their child to be more special and more entitled than others. In contrast, high self-esteem in children is cultivated by parental warmth: parents expressing affection and appreciation toward their child.
The seven female archetypes are the innocent (sometimes referred to as the maiden), the caregiver (sometimes known as the mother), the sage, the huntress, the mystic, the queen and the lover.
The shadow mother feels devastated when relationships end and is preoccupied with fears of abandonment. She needs to be needed. She tells herself that others can't live without her, but really she can't live without them.
Regardless of whether she has children or not, the loving Mother is a universally understood archetypal image. She cares deeply for those around her and gains great satisfaction from being able to nurture others. Out of all 7 Feminine Archetypes, the Mother is the most heart-centered archetype.