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(m)other / other

English translation: anything other than natural

23:55 Sep 27, 2004
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Other
English term or phrase: (m)other / other
A small number of deviant mothers use the “sickness strategy” to project onto their babies their own frustrated wishes and needs, the central and determining feature of Munchausen by Proxy. Hence, mother love is best understood as (m)other love.

alternative love?
Jowita (X)
Local time: 17:51
Selected answer:anything other than natural
Explanation:
In the article "(M)Other Love: Culture, Scarcity, and Maternal Thinking," anthropologist Nancy Sheper-Hughes calls mother love "anything other than natural and instead represents a matrix of images, meanings, sentiments, and practices that are everywhere socially and culturally produced."

quoted in
Mother Nature: Maternal Instincts and How They Shape the Human Species by Sarah Blaffer Hrdy (Paperback)
which is for sale by amazon.
Selected response from:

Tegan Raleigh
United States
Grading comment
thank you
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
5 +7anything other than natural
Tegan Raleigh
4my other
Michael Powers (PhD)
2 +1an idea
RHELLER
3other
sarahl (X)


  

Answers


4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
my other


Explanation:
I believe it is a play on words by using the sound. In the case described, "mother love" is actual "my other love" from the prespective of the mother, which is an alternative love as suggested, by coming from the mother but not directed toward the child, but rather toward the mother's unfilfilled frustrations.

Mike :)

Michael Powers (PhD)
United States
Local time: 12:51
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 50

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Kpy
1 min
  -> Thank you, Kpy - Mike :)
agree  Arroger: Arroger
52 mins
  -> Thank you, Arroger - Mike :)
disagree  Refugio: This is fanciful and unfounded.
2 hrs
  -> Thank you, Ruth - it is always so nice to hear from you. - Mike :)
disagree  Dorene Cornwell: entertaining, but it misses the point
5 hrs
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18 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5 peer agreement (net): +1
an idea


Explanation:
not sure but I think these mothers are desperate for attention and love they did not receive as children

other love = love from the "other" (the doctor, nurse, etc.)

RHELLER
United States
Local time: 10:51
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 101

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Richard Benham: This is a pretty plausible suggestion.//There is no obvious right answer, and this one can't be dismissed--and the (m) can be explained by saying that these mothers do love as mothers as well, but it's somehow misdirected.
5 hrs
  -> thanks Richard - but I guess most peers think otherwise :-)
disagree  Dorene Cornwell: maybe so but not relevant to the meaning of this passage
5 hrs
  -> thanks - It was just an "idea" with a 2 confidence level
agree  Asghar Bhatti: agred with Richard.
5 hrs
  -> thanks Asghar :-)
disagree  Kpy: doesn't fit. You haven't explained the (m)
8 hrs
  -> obviously for mother but it was just an idea. thanks so much for your honest opinion!
agree  Clare Barnes
16 hrs
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43 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
other


Explanation:
as in very different.
my take.

sarahl (X)
Local time: 09:51
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Richard Benham: Hmm. I'm not overwhelmed.One of the effects on MBP on the child seems to be on language development.
4 hrs
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55 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +7
anything other than natural


Explanation:
In the article "(M)Other Love: Culture, Scarcity, and Maternal Thinking," anthropologist Nancy Sheper-Hughes calls mother love "anything other than natural and instead represents a matrix of images, meanings, sentiments, and practices that are everywhere socially and culturally produced."

quoted in
Mother Nature: Maternal Instincts and How They Shape the Human Species by Sarah Blaffer Hrdy (Paperback)
which is for sale by amazon.

Tegan Raleigh
United States
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
thank you

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Refugio
1 hr
  -> cheers!
agree  Saleh Chowdhury, Ph.D.
1 hr
  -> cheers!
agree  Kim Metzger: Nice explanation and reference.
2 hrs
  -> thank you, Kim. :)
agree  Dorene Cornwell: There is clearly a play on words where all the mother's feelings she might invest in relation to another get congealed in this distorted image of mother love directed at her child
4 hrs
  -> cheers!
agree  vixen
7 hrs
agree  Kpy: I agree with Dorene
7 hrs
agree  Aisha Maniar: this term is used in feminist discourse too when discussing perceived gender roles :-)
9 hrs
neutral  Richard Benham: This is another possibility. It would have to be a deliberate reference to that article though. So I suppose it depends how well-known it is in anthropological circles.
12 hrs
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