Conflicting feelings of love and hate for a child can have a creative impact on mothering. This is Rozsika Parker's contention as she presents an understanding of maternal ambivalence. Drawing on interviews with mothers, clinical material and a range of literary sources, she explores differing experiences of maternal ambivalence. Parker's revision of psychoanalysis from the point of view of the mother also makes a contribution to feminist thinking on motherhood. This book is appropriate for general readers as well as the professional.