Contemporary society has evolved from a smaller nucleus, which still constitutes its nerve center today: the family. In the past, families were the place where new citizens were formed thanks to the guiding role played by parents, in which a system of values was transmitted and dissent was exercised. The ability of young people to create their own identity in opposition to that of their parents and the need to find an impetus to move outward have always been fundamental steps in becoming responsible and aware adults. In this essay, the authoritative psychoanalyst Laura Pigozzi explores the current crisis of the family, which is at the root of a wider and fiercely destructive social tragedy: parents have given up their guiding role in favor of one of infinite protection. This is where the concept of plusmaterno (over-mothering) arises as a failure of care, revealed by a lack of educational responsibility. Through the notion of civil disobedience developed by Hannah Arendt, the author develops in these pages an unprecedented reinterpretation of the origins of totalitarianism and, by analyzing some emblematic cases of failed parental relationships, traces a path that is reflected in the crises of contemporary society. Because every future citizen is born into a family, and educating children to be responsible and independent means raising a more democratic society, made up of conscious adults.

“Why has parenting become so complicated? And what is it that we fail to understand about young people to the point of feeling powerless and inadequate? The answer is in this book by Laura Pigozzi, in which the psychoanalyst investigates the effects of maternal dependence on the adult children (and terrible citizens) of tomorrow.” L'Espresso

«A groundbreaking, highly political work that stimulates reflection and gives a voice to women who are not mothers.» (Brigitte Bègue, La société des Followers, Actualités sociales hebdomadaires, April 2023)