The Absent Father Effect on Daughters

by Susan E. Schwartz

The Absent Father Effect on Daughters investigates the impact of absent – physically or emotionally – and inadequate fathers on the lives and psyches of their daughters through the perspective of Jungian analytical psychology. This book tells the stories of daughters who describe the insecurity of self, the splintering and disintegration of the personality, and the silencing of voice.

Issues of fathers and daughters reach to the intra-psychic depths and archetypal roots, to issues of self and culture, both personal and collective. Susan E. Schwartz illustrates the maladies and disappointments of daughters who lack a father figure and incorporates clinical examples describing how daughters can break out of idealizations, betrayals, abandonments and losses to move towards repair and renewal. The book takes an interdisciplinary approach, expanding and elucidating Jungian concepts through dreams, personal stories, fairy tales and the poetry of Sylvia Plath, along with psychoanalytic theory, including Andre Green’s ‘dead father effect’ and Julia Kristeva’s theories on women and the body as abject.

Examining daughters both personally and collectively affected by the lack of a father, The Absent Father Effect on Daughters is highly relevant for those wanting to understand the complex dynamics of daughters and fathers to become their authentic selves. It will be essential reading for anyone seeking understanding, analytical and depth psychologists, other therapy professionals, academics and students with Jungian and post-Jungian interests.

308 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 30, 2022

Reviews

[Andréa Carvalho · Rating 4 out of 5]

O argumento principal do livro, que tem uma abordagem de psicologia analítica junguiana, é que a ausência do pai (física, emocionalmente ou ambos) é presente e bastante fundamental na formação da psique das filhas.
Gostei muito, abriu minha mente em alguns sentidos. Preciso de tempo para conseguir digerir...

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A necessary and helpful read for anyone who experienced an absent father while growing up, whether physically or emotionally (mine was emotionally absent). Though this was probably written more for therapists treating women such as myself, it was still helpful (though sad) to understand why I possess certain qualities that are frankly just not normal.

With each of the archetypes described, in every one, I found myself nodding and thinking, "This is exactly me." In short: I have major issues and this helped explain why and where these issues are rooted. I would have liked to have seen, however, more than one chapter on how to treat, uncover, and help repair these deeep wounds. It seemed to point only toward therapy, which makes sense, but even then, that part of the book was only one chapter.

[Vashti Desai · Rating 5 out of 5]

O livro é muito bom. Foi um pouco difícil de ler porque mexeu muito comigo emocionalmente. Mas me ajudou a compreender vários aspectos da minha personalidade e qual é a raiz de atitudes que tenho diante da vida. Recomendo a leitura, mas deve estarfamiliarizado com os conceitos psicanalíticos de Carl Jung.