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Freud_Burlingham_1943_War_and_Children_k_text

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ditions of normal family life. When mother<strong>and</strong> child are forcibly separated, as for instancefor the purpose of evacuation, the mother maysuddenly feel the separation as a fulfillmentof her unconscious desire to get rid of herchild.In that case she will be unable to st<strong>and</strong>the situation. She will disregard all reasonsagainst it,will use the slightest pre<strong>text</strong>s to explainher decision to herself <strong>and</strong> will enforcere-union with the child so as to be re-assuredabout her own love for it.Under unfavorable social <strong>and</strong> economicconditions <strong>and</strong> with unwanted illegitimate childrenthe emotional situation of the mother iscompletely reversed. Her entire consciousmind is filled with the desire not to have thebaby before it is born or to get rid of thechild after its appearance. Instinctive motherlyfeelings towards the child cannot fail to bepresent as well, but they are felt as a threatto the mother's own existence <strong>and</strong> thereforebanned from consciousness. Here the consciouswish of the mother <strong>and</strong> the necessities of evacuationcoincide.Mothers of thiskind present no difficulty inthe beginning of evacuation. Their attitudeonly becomes a danger when they fail to visit.completely lose touch with the nursery or billetwhere their children have been placed <strong>and</strong> willcertainly be untraceable when their children174

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