Looking forward to the birth of a child: tales of motherhood in forums

Abstract

The aim of this study is the investigation of the mental representations relative to birth created by mothers trough their self-narrations. We have explored several Italian forums contained in websites connected to the topic. The narrations have been analysed in their structural, linguistic, thematic and symbolic components. Then we have pointed out the gap between the declared level of the contents and the defensive strategies emerged trough the formal elements. The omissions, the “unsaid” and the mental-disorderly contents, which have been covered or transformed with expressive techniques, have brought us to elaborate some hypotheses. Specially the Psychodynamic prospect offers the possibility of examine the hidden meanings of the test, without forgetting the specific communicative contest linked to web and forums.

Keywords

• self-narration
• motherhood
• digital-communication