I was watching a TV show the other day, and one of the characters referred to her mother as a predatory mother.

In the program, the mother wrapped her daughter in cotton wool. She was overprotective, so invested in her daughter’s life that she neglected her own and suffocated her with love. Eventually, the daughter was cut down and killed.

I found it interesting because society usually focuses on neglectful mothers. Can you have too much love? In this article, I will examine the characteristics of the predatory mother archetype, how to detect if you have been raised by a predatory mother, and how to heal from it. But first, a quick recap of the prototyping.

What are prototypes?

The predatory mother archetype is derived from psychoanalyst Carl Jung’s archetypes. Jung’s archetypes are 12 distinct personalities, sharing common personality traits that we can easily recognize.

Humans identify with an archetype, and this determines our behavior and how others see us. Examples include mother, sage, explorer, ruler, outlaw, and wizard.

There are distinct groups within the parent models:

The Great Mother represents mother nature, fertility and maternal instinct.
A bad mother is known in fairy tales as an evil stepmother who causes mischief.
The adoptive mother takes care of the people around her.
So, what is the Devouring Mother model?

What is the archetype of the predatory mother? the definition
A devourer mother “consumes” her children psychologically and emotionally and often instills in them feelings of guilt for leaving her or becoming independent. Caroline Mays

The devouring mother wants to keep her children for herself, free from the need to protect them from the real world or prevent them from leaving her.

She feels a sincere desire to protect her children from societal evils and dangers. Or she may be so insecure and afraid of being alone that she cannot bear to be left by her children.

Overprotective mother

The overprotective devourer mother babysits her children, keeping them in a perpetual infantile state. She ensures that her children cannot function in the adult world, leaving them dependent on her and unable to live independent lives.

Insecure mother

The insecure, devourer mother makes her children feel guilty if they dare to create a life of their own. Her children learn that life revolves around their mother, and they cannot function in a world that their mother does not control.

This type of devouring mother archetype stems from the fear of being left alone. She needs to be needed and her children are the perfect candidates. She puts her emotional needs above her children’s development and well-being.

Either way, as the predatory mother exerts more and more control over her children, she forces them to depend on her. Perhaps it is not surprising that as they became more dependent on her, she became more dependent on them. It turns into a vicious circle. Neither party can exit.

Characteristics of the Devouring Mother model

Overprotection

A predatory mother does her best to keep her child safe from harm. She may prevent them from mingling with other children, homeschool them, or prevent them from playing outside the home or attending after-school clubs. This hinders the child’s development into a healthy adulthood.

Follow-up

This overprotective nature can turn into controlling behaviour, especially if children rebel. The mother restricts her children more from the perceived dangers of the outside world. She exercises control over every aspect of their lives.

manipulate

Young children are easy to control, but as they get older, they can question rules and restrictions. The devourer mother may resort to manipulative tactics to explain or coerce desired behaviors. You might say things like,