Discourses of intensive mothering now seem to dominate European and American parenting cultures. This is a problem for those mothers who do not currently possess the resources to match up. In a study of Italian and British mothers who are experiencing low or reduced incomes, we observe the ways in which they internalize intensive mothering discourses through a process of ethical self-formation. This mode of self-formation involves detailed self-surveillance and self-discipline and abnegation of their own needs in place of other individual family members, and the family as a whole. We find a series of contradictory emotional effects which generate both pride and self-worth but also stress and anxiety. We advance the theory that mothers operate within an optimistic affective regime to make sense of these contradictory effects and retain a sense of agency and control over their lives and those of their families. However, drawing on Berlant’s concept of cruel optimism, we argue that such affective regimes may be very pernicious in their effects, only serving to hold mothers in a relation that is ultimately impassable and often unfulfilling.

中文翻译：

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艰难时期的母爱：福柯式的伦理自我塑造和残酷的乐观主义

强化母爱的话语现在似乎主导着欧洲和美国的育儿文化。对于那些目前没有匹配资源的母亲来说，这是一个问题。在一项针对收入低或收入减少的意大利和英国母亲的研究中，我们观察到她们通过道德自我形成过程将密集的母爱话语内化的方式。这种自我形成的模式涉及详细的自我监督和自律，以及代替其他家庭成员和整个家庭而放弃自己的需要。我们发现了一系列相互矛盾的情绪影响，这些影响既产生自豪感和自我价值，也产生压力和焦虑。我们提出了这样一种理论，即母亲在乐观的情感机制中运作，以理解这些矛盾的影响，并保持对自己和家人生活的代理感和控制感。然而，借鉴 Berlant 的残酷乐观主义概念，我们认为这种情感机制的影响可能非常有害，只会使母亲处于一种最终无法通行且常常无法实现的关系中。