• 26th International Congress on PCP Belgrade 2025, ARTICLES, Special Section

Dimensions of Maternal Influence on the Development of a Child’s Construct System

Damjanac, M. V. & Miletić, V.

DOI:
10.69995/XWVO9700

Keywords:
Maternal influence, Child's construct system, Dimensions, Mother.

Abstract:
The aim of this article is to introduce two new diagnostic constructs that outline how a mother’s (or caregiver’s) behaviour influences the development of a child’s personal construct system. We present two bipolar dimensions of maternal behaviour. The first dimension is Disarming - Condemning mother. The Disarming mother disempowers the child by undermining their autonomy. In contrast, the Condemning mother demands full independence, even when the child may be developmentally not ready for this process to occur. The second dimension is Glued - Detached mother. The Glued mother emotionally fuses with the child and uses them as a resource, remaining “glued” to the child, instead of fostering healthy and developmentally appropriate separation. The Detached mother, by contrast, avoids relational roles entirely. While these two dimensions cannot encompass the full richness and complexity of parent–child dynamics or the subtle, gradual process of negotiating dependency and autonomy, they provide a framework for examining certain key patterns. By identifying these relational tendencies, we can gain insight into how a child’s personal construct system develops in specific ways and how these early dynamics may later manifest as significant transference patterns in therapy.