The alchemy of mothers and adolescent daughters: A Jungian perspective as bridge between separation-individuation and attachment-relational models

This dissertation addresses the following question: Is it possible to bridge opposing theoretical viewpoints, and to appreciate the meaning of the often confusing and conflictual relationship between mothers and adolescent daughters, by re-visioning this relationship through an archetypal-alchemical perspective?;A review of the main ideas in the existing literature begins with an exploration of definitions and descriptions of adolescence, and then proceeds to place the separation-individuation approach in historical context by examining the progression of adolescent developmental theory from classical Greece through mid-20th-century America. The review of literature then goes on to explore a feminist attachment-relational approach to developmental theory in the context of its predecessors and most important influences, demonstrating how the concept of “self-in-relation” complements the traditional separation-individuation view of adolescent development.;In preparation for a synthesis of these two approaches, C. G. Jung's archetypal theory is traced from its beginnings, and his use of alchemical symbolism is shown to be a valuable tool in enhancing understanding of the mysteries of psychological development and change. Jung's theories are then applied to the mother-adolescent daughter relationship, utilizing the metaphoric images of alchemy and mythology to illuminate individuation processes at work in the archetypal field constellating between mother and daughter as well as within the individual psyches of each.;In the process of applying Jung's theories to this relationship, a bridging of opposing developmental perspectives is simultaneously effected, revealing many points where seemingly disparate approaches act in secret symmetry, and demonstrating that separation and connection are essential and dynamic complementary forces, both of which are equally necessary to the functioning and development of the individual and the relationship.