NEWS

Nannies, Caregivers, and Psychoanalysts

Penny Hooks, MD

The 2011 movie, “The Help,” raised public awareness about the importance that nannies have in children’s lives. According to Daria Colombo’s article, Freud devalued nursemaids and governesses as “worthless female material,” despite the major role that they played in his childhood, clinical cases, and even his theorizing. In contemporary society, there is still a minimization or denial of the nanny’s significance. Susan Scheftel explored the contributions of the nanny and her relationship with the family, drawing on Mary Poppins as an example. Scheftel’s paper won an award from APsaA for its original contributions to the psychoanalytic literature. Finally, Steven Botticelli asserted that the societal devaluation of caregiving has generalized to the psychoanalytic profession, especially as it has come to be dominated by women and its relational perspective has been emphasized.

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