Adulthood for females is a complex maturational process, rooted in the mother-daughter relationship. To investigate the dynamics of the mother-daughter relationship and its influence on maturing, 20 women, ranging in age from 30 to 75, were interviewed for 6 to 8 hours over a 1-month period. The subjects were chosen for their self-reflective…

Erikson marked adolescence for the prime developmental task of identity achievement. An examination of 31 mothers, aged 25 to 45, revealed that foreclosure of identity development was the norm for this sample in adolescence and that, for those who had achieved identity, the subsequent status change was related to the liberating influences of…

This volume, a report of a National Institute of Mental Health Conference, presents a synopsis of the informal presentations and discussions along with a summary narrative and quotations from each of the three sessions. The first section of the book deals with adolescent personality, socioemotional, biological, and cognitive development. The…