Conference Agenda

Dialogical self — created to be integrated: Formation of the maternal bond

Kristiina Uriko, Tallinn University, Estonia (kristiina.uriko@tlu.ee)

Roland E. Uriko, Tallinn University, Estonia

The objective of this paper is to analyze the formation of the maternal bond as a complex process of self-organization. A mother’s bond with her child is recognized as critical for a child's overall health and development. However, few longitudinal studies have examined this topic. This qualitative study is based on longitudinally-collected interview data consisting of semi-structured interviews with women from the time they were pregnant until their child turned one year old. The discussion draws on the perspectives of the dialogical self theory and the semiotic regulation model. Based on the analysis and theoretical standpoints, it can be assumed that maternal bond formation moves through meaning construction in which a woman processes the pre-semiotic material into the semiotic field. As a result of the dialogue between biological and sociocultural imperatives, sociocultural meanings are turned into personal meanings and expressed by a mother through her caregiving behaviors and responses towards her offspring. The process of the formation maternal bond could be understood as an adaptive process during which, in a dialogical attempt, the self-system aims to arrange and rearrange its meaning units and achieve more functional and coherent self-organization. A mother’s bond with her child is a developmental process that begins during pregnancy and develops further after the child is born. Therefore, maternal care requires attention to maternal difficulties in bonding during pregnancy, with sustained support extending into the postpartum period.

Keywords: maternal bond, dialogical self, semiotic regulation, meaning-making