Women as mothers, lovers, and wives. Inherent representation of rolebasedviolence among psychologists, judiciary system, and social services' network

This case story will attempt to highlight how prescriptions and gender role representations operate within social interactions and will also examine their impact on policy relating to social and juridical services faced with taking charge of and treating families. In particular, the focus will be on the implications of different visions of maternity and motherhood in the light of the thoughts of Chodorow (1978), Arcidiacono (1996), and Ferraro and Nunziante Cesaro (1985). In this specific case story, social, juridical, rehabilitative and clinical services are faced with a father claiming custody of his child who is the daughter of a clandestine migrant mother. The analysis of the diverse narrations opened up a discussion about the way in which different value dimensions attributed to motherhood act in social life. This case is extremely interesting since the meanings attributed to the role of the ‘good mother’ and ‘good father’ and their modulation across different cultural contexts permeate the clash between the diverse actors featured in this story and influence the responses of institutional authorities when asked to resolve a conflict in which the object of the dispute is a minor, and everything should be in the interests of the child herself. The case also shows how the cultural and historical dimensions of diverse cultural contexts determine the meanings: in this specific case, those attributed to the idea of ‘good mother’ and optimal child care.