The Spockian Mother: Images of the “Good” Mother in Dr. Spock’s The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care, 1946–1992

摘要

Dr. Spock’s, The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care, one of the best-selling selfhelprntexts of all-time, “second only to the Bible in popularity” (Meakin & Tattersall, 2004)rnwas one of the most influential childcare books in American culture. The author has beenrnboth heralded and disparaged as instrumental in the shaping of untold generations. In thernpresent study, we address the rhetorical construction of the Spockian Mother as she isrndeveloped during Spock’s tenure from 1946–1992. We employ a feminist rhetoricalrnperspective to examine the progression of Spock’s texts in order to understand howrnpatriarchal images of motherhood are constructed and maintained through Spock’srnlifetime and the first 46 years of its publication. We argue that Spock both reinforcedrnand challenged the institution of motherhood; he challenged institutionalized motherhoodrnby encouraging mothers to “trust themselves” while simultaneously conforming to arnpatriarchal model of motherhood which is at odds with empowered mothering.