Table 2.
Categories of proximate reasons for guilt in the material.
| Type of Guilt Inducer | Subtype | n (N=63) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Aggression, actual or imagined | Nonphysical (shouting, calling names, being irritated, thoughts of abuse) | 25 |
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| Physical (squeezing hard, slapping, pushing) | 8 | |
|
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| Suicidal and self-destructive thoughts | 5 | |
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| 2. ‘Exit’ | Thoughts of leaving children | 5 |
|
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||
| Wishing child had not been born or was dead | 7 | |
|
| ||
| 3. Absence | Mental | 3 |
|
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| Physical | 6 | |
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| 4. Preferential treatment | Favoring one child over the other | 4 |
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| 5. Motherhood myth | Not corresponding to own ideas of a good mother | 14 |
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| Not corresponding to other's ideas of a good mother | 8 | |