SOCIAL UTERUS AS A METAPHOR FOR THE FAMILY
SOCIAL UTERUS AS A METAPHOR FOR THE FAMILY

Summary/Abstract: Experiences with the use of the metaphor of the social uterus— the protected area, are presented. The setting, into which a child is born, is the interaction family setting of other family members. Its parameters and development enables an adequate protection of the developing child against the premature demands of the other world. The optimal coordination of the changes in the interaction of the mother, father, and child is accompanied by the optimum growth and maturation of the child. The metaphor of the social uterus was formed by comparing the biological function of the uterus and the maturation of the foetus inside it from conception to childbirth on the basis of the experiences with the changes in the family from the birth of the child up to its separation. This approach sums up the achievements of developmental psychology and the family therapy into a practical and understandable model, which is useful in clinical practice. The model offers an understanding of psychosomatic symptoms within a family.

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