Impact of maternal directiveness and overprotectiveness on the personality development of a sample of individuals with acquired blindness

Numerous researchers have shown that mothers of children with blindness tend to be highly directive and overprotective with their children. In this study we investigated whether this maternal interactive style can have negative consequences on the psychological development of persons with acquired blindness, or whether it can be considered functional and appropriate to these individuals’ needs during childhood. This aim was pursued by adopting attachment theory as a conceptual reference and administering the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI; George, Kaplan, & Main, 1985) to a sample of participants with early onset blindness. Results suggested that, as long as mothers are loving and sensitive to their children’s needs, their greater physical intervention and control of child exploration can play an important role in helping their severely sight-impaired children develop secure and well-balanced personalities.