Women as Mothers and the Making of the European Mind: A Contribution to the History of Developmental Psychology and Primary Socialization

A major purpose of this essay is to show that our assumptions regarding human development in general, and in particular, the mother and child have their roots in a Christian-humanistic tradition. I also wish to locate the origins of the discourse on the mother and child within a critical historical review of notions of a changing anthropology of the human subject. The working hypothesis is as follows: A changing view of the human being is associated with a changing approach to child care and child development. This changing approach to child is accompanied by a 'new woman'. Women are newly constructed when children, and thus a future person and a future society is defined.