Résumé
Ramona Thieme Mercer, infirmière américaine née en 1929, a consacré plus de 30 ans de sa carrière professionnelle à l’étude du phénomène complexe de « devenir une mère ». Sa théorie publiée en 1995 décrit et explique le processus de transition identitaire de la femme qui devient mère au cours de sa grossesse et durant la première année postpartum. Cet article présente les éléments de cette théorie qui s’appuie sur des recherches faites aux États-Unis dans la deuxième moitié du XXe siècle et le début du XXIe siècle. Mercer étudie le processus de devenir une mère dans différentes situations parentales : les couples de parents hétérosexuels mariés ou non, les mères célibataires, les adolescentes. Elle s’intéresse aussi aux couples lesbiens dont une des femmes est la mère biologique car, pour Mercer, elles ont à faire face à une forte discrimination sociale et un environnement plus hostile. La théorie est basée sur des sources d’inspirations plurielles et concerne les soins pré-, péri- et postnataux. À partir d’un exemple clinique, nous mobilisons le modèle théorique actualisé par Mercer en 2003 pour analyser les quatre étapes du processus de devenir une mère décrites par l’autrice.
Ramona Thieme Mercer, an American nurse born in 1929, devoted more than thirty years of her professional career to the study of the complex phenomenon of “becoming a mother.” Her theory published in 1995 describes and explains the process of identity transition for women who become mothers during pregnancy and the first year postpartum. This article presents the basic elements of this theory, which is based on research carried out in the United States in the second half of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century. Mercer studied the process of becoming a mother in different parental situations: heterosexual couples (married or unmarried), single mothers, and adolescents. She also took an interest in lesbian couples where one woman is the biological mother, since they have to face strong social discrimination and a more hostile environment. The theory is based on multiple sources of inspiration and concerns pre-, peri-, and postnatal care. Using a clinical example, we use the theoretical model updated by Mercer in 2003 to analyze the four stages of the process of becoming a mother described by the author.
Ramona Thieme Mercer, an American nurse born in 1929, devoted more than thirty years of her professional career to the study of the complex phenomenon of “becoming a mother.” Her theory published in 1995 describes and explains the process of identity transition for women who become mothers during pregnancy and the first year postpartum. This article presents the basic elements of this theory, which is based on research carried out in the United States in the second half of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century. Mercer studied the process of becoming a mother in different parental situations: heterosexual couples (married or unmarried), single mothers, and adolescents. She also took an interest in lesbian couples where one woman is the biological mother, since they have to face strong social discrimination and a more hostile environment. The theory is based on multiple sources of inspiration and concerns pre-, peri-, and postnatal care. Using a clinical example, we use the theoretical model updated by Mercer in 2003 to analyze the four stages of the process of becoming a mother described by the author.