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The early relationship of mother and pre‐infant: Merleau‐Ponty and pregnancy
Author(s) -
Wynn Francine
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
nursing philosophy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.367
H-Index - 35
eISSN - 1466-769X
pISSN - 1466-7681
DOI - 10.1046/j.1466-769x.2002.00080.x
Subject(s) - pregnancy , possession (linguistics) , opposition (politics) , developmental psychology , psychology , perspective (graphical) , obstetrics , perception , medicine , philosophy , law , political science , art , linguistics , genetics , neuroscience , politics , visual arts , biology
This paper critically evaluates current conceptions of pregnancy as a possession of either mother or infant. In opposition to the more common stance that marks birth as the beginning of intercorporeality and perception, pregnancy is instead phenomenologically delineated as a chiasmic relationship between mother and her pre‐infant from a Merleau‐Pontian perspective. This paper maintains that during pregnancy a mother‐to‐be and her pre‐infant are deepened and modified through their intertwining.