Il mito dell’istinto materno: madri (e padri) non si nasce, si diventa

Abstract

The still culturally widespread belief that girls and women possess an innate ‘maternal instinct’ is often a source of stress and unhappiness when new mothers struggle in caring - and even feeling love - for their newborn, as they experience the burden of social expectations that they should immediately be competent and loving. There is no evidence - either from neuroscience or ethnography and anthropology - that girls and women are ‘naturally predisposed’, differently from men, to care for and love their child. When mothers and fathers (biological or not) spend the same time in caring for and bonding with their child they develop equal competence in care. It is important to support new parents and provide an environment in which they can develop as co-parents and gain confidence in their parenting skills.