ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the possibility of including Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSBP) as a type of maternal perversion since the process is symbolically a dual one, as the mother is in complete identification with the image of a seriously ill baby. It identifies distinctive features that differentiate MSBP and perverse mothering. Cases of MSBP always require a third party, are always premeditated, cold-blooded, and show complete detachment, and are always presented as seeking help. Perverse mothers are often young mothers with a history of eating disorders and or self-harm. In contrast, MSBP mothers tend to be older and present with somatizing behaviours and or a history of illness. Perversion of motherhood is the end product of serial abuse or chronic infantile neglect. This condition involves at least three generations in which faulty and inadequate mothering perpetuates itself in a circular motion, reproducing a cycle of abuse.
