The Archetype of the Mother: The Psychoanalytical Basis of Family and Community Social Work

Periods of crisis and social cataclysms are accompanied by an exacerbation of social problems, which, in particular, are of an existential and psychoanalytic nature (the search for the meaning of life, overcoming despair, understanding of thanatological issues, the essence of the struggle between Eros and Thanatos, etc.) In this context, the problem of motherhood is also relevant, the secrets of which, in particular, are rooted in the archetypes of Mother, Great Mother, and ‘double mother’. In the situation of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the loss of a family in general or one of the parents in particular is particularly acute for a modern person. Given that, on the one hand, children are the future of the country, and on the other hand, the heroes and heroines are the children of Ukraine, the role of the Mother and her influence on the formation and development of the Child’s personality is now becoming more and more important to every person. In this regard, the research attention in this article is focused on the essence of the Mother archetype as one of the innate universal structures, which is the purpose of this article.Highlighting the key points of C.G.Jung’s teachings on the archetype and the mother complex will help to reveal the psychoanalytic foundations of family studies, which are important for the understanding of both recipients (individuals/families) and providers (social work professionals) of social services. It is important to note that C.G.Jung emphasised the lack of grasp of the studied archetype - from specific examples to generalisations, from direct understanding to figurative meaning. The scientist, recognising the universality of the folk psychological image of the mother, at the same time focused on the importance of the figure of his own mother for each individual. The analysis of C. G. Jung’s views on the essence of the Mother archetype and the mother complex derived from it, which has different effects on the son and daughter, allows us to conclude that it has an ambivalent nature, which includes both positive and negative aspects. Taking into account the entire range of these diametrically opposed aspects by both recipients (individuals/families, children/parents) and providers of social services (social work professionals) will contribute to progress in the development of family and maternity institutions in the changing realities of today.