Abstract
Mirroring has failed when the reflection an individual receives is inaccurate or distorted. Though typically focused on parent–child interactions, mirroring and failed mirroring are also cultural phenomena. For women with dis/abilities, failed mirroring occurs when societal representations of dis/ability are reflected back rather than personal attributes. This essay suggests failed mirroring as a possible consequence of disabled women’s encounters with stares and analyzes one woman’s experience with a staring person that results in a temporary destabilization of self-knowledge and self-worth. Healthier relationships with others and the Divine have the potential of restoring or healing what has been lost or denied in such distortions.
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The author of this paper would like to express her appreciation to Kathleen Greider who read earlier versions of this work.
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Schaller, J.E. Failed Mirroring as a Cultural Phenomenon. Pastoral Psychol 56, 507–520 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-008-0132-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-008-0132-3