Interactive narratives in the investigation of the collective imaginary about motherhood

Abstract

Abstract Considering narration and psychoanalysis as processes of interpreting human experience, a narrative was developed to investigate the collective imaginary about motherhood. It is a fictional story elaborated by the researchers based on their clinical experience with pregnant women. When the interactive narrative reaches a climax, the researcher interrupts the story and invites the participants to complete it. Subsequently, the researcher and participants discuss the addressed topic and their own experiences during the writing process. In the present study, an interactive narrative about a couple which faces the possibility of having a baby with Down syndrome was presented to two groups of undergraduate Pedagogy and Psychology students. The psychoanalytical consideration of the narratives completed suggested expectations of an idealized mother who would accept her child unconditionally despite the implied sacrifice and her own feelings and a strong and protective father, when present. Conceptions of motherhood and its conflicts are discussed.