Your Mother Daughter Connection

Marilyn Irwin Boynton and Mary Dell, authors of Goodbye to Mother Hello Woman (New Harbinger Publication, Inc., 1995), have divided mother and daughter connections into five categories that form a continuum of behaviors-not iron clad boxes. An adapted version of their classifications of “connections” appears in the diagram. Note that those individuals who replace the word “attachment” with “connection” are making a very important distinction. Attachment infers dependency. Connection allows more for a position of self in a relationship. It implies a mutual understanding and acceptance of differences and preferences, according to Rose R. Oliver, Ph.D., professor of psychology and women and gender studies at Amherst College.