Our Mother-TempersThis book boldly states and deeply analyzes a commonplace observation about us all: our mothers play a powerful role in making us the kind of people we are. By the age of three, four, or five, virtually all children have learned to walk, talk, eat, sleep, control bodily functions, interact with other people, be male, or be female—insofar as these things are learned—from their mothers (or a mother surrogate who is female). Every mother has known and knows this. Most social analysts, according to the author, both know it and ignore it. If our mothers are asymmetrically influential in shaping our initial years, and our fathers usually in the background, what does it reveal about the social sources of human sex roles, including the universal precedence of males over females in all known societies? These are fundamental, normative, and often deeply emotional matters. Professor Levy seeks to consider them in a scientific spirit, clear the path for better understandings of the role of mothers, and inspire new research on early socialization. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1989. |
Contents
| 1 | |
The Seed | 18 |
Peccator Forte | 24 |
The Family | 41 |
Solidarity | 61 |
Political Allocation | 93 |
Economic Allocation | 112 |
Integration and Expression | 124 |
Relationships | 132 |
Fathers | 177 |
Glossary | 189 |
| 233 | |
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Common terms and phrases
action actual affective allocation and/or arational aspects asymmetry avoidant basic basis behavior biological certainly child childhood concepts concerned considerations considered continue course criteria defined differentiation diffuse direction discussed distinction early economic elements empirical example exist expected fact family context family members father female five follows functionally given governance highly hold human ideally important inculcated individuals infants initial institutionalized intensity interaction involved kinship known learning least less lived majority male matter means membership modernized mothers never nonfamily observed offspring older one's organization orientation particular patterns perhaps political possible precedence predominantly present probably production question rational refers regard rela relation relationships relatively relevant responsible role scientific sense sexual ships social societies solidarities speaking specific strength structure theory things tion tionship true units universal universalistic vary young children