An essential work for readers seeking compassionate, wise guidance about
the powerful relationship between mothers and their sons and daughters. Mother
love is often seen as sacred, but for many children the relationship is a
painful struggle. Using the newest research on human attachment and brain
development, Terri Apter, an internationally acclaimed psychologist and writer,
unlocks the mysteries of this complicated bond. She showcases the five
different types of difficult mother—the angry mother, the controlling mother,
the narcissistic mother, the envious mother, and the emotionally neglectful
mother—and explains the patterns of behavior seen in each type. Apter also
explores the dilemma at the heart of a difficult relationship: why a mother has
such a powerful impact on us and why we continue to care about her responses
long after we have outgrown our dependence. She then shows how we can conduct
an “emotional audit” on ourselves to overcome the power of the complex feelings
a difficult mother inflicts. In the end this book celebrates the great
resilience of sons and daughters of difficult mothers as well as acknowledging
their special challenges.
