The “Symbiosis” Concept Analysis in The Feminine Mystique

– Biologically, ‘symbiosis’ is the process by which two organisms become one organism. As a psychological concept, ‘symbiosis’ refers to the psychological or emotional bonding between mothers and children. The mother, according to psychologists, should provide constant loving care, just as she provided constant nourishment and a safe environment for the fetus in the womb, until the child is ready to be “psychologically born,” or became more independent. This process is to last for “an indeterminate number of years.” The concept contributed to the notion that mothers and their children “retain a mystical oneness” and “are not really separate beings.”

The “Symbiosis” Concept Quotes in The Feminine Mystique

The The Feminine Mystique quotes below are all either spoken by The “Symbiosis” Concept or refer to The “Symbiosis” Concept. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

In our society, love has customarily been defined, at least for women, as a complete merging of egos and a loss of separateness— “togetherness,” a giving up of individuality rather than a strengthening of it.

Related Characters: Betty Friedan (speaker)

Related Symbols: The Feminine Mystique

Page Number and Citation: 323

Explanation and Analysis:

The “Symbiosis” Concept Term Timeline in The Feminine Mystique

The timeline below shows where the term The “Symbiosis” Concept appears in The Feminine Mystique. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...Pop psychology had encouraged this fusion of mothers and children through the promotion of the “symbiosis” concept , which insisted that a mother’s constant loving care was necessary for a child’s emotional... (full context)

The “Symbiosis” Concept Term Analysis

The “Symbiosis” Concept Quotes in The Feminine Mystique

The “Symbiosis” Concept Term Timeline in The Feminine Mystique