‘Using surprise in observing cultural difference’.

This chapter illustrates the potential of surprise through presenting material from a research study aiming to understand how becoming a mother for the first time may affect a woman’s sense of who she is. Exploring countertransference experiences was a necessary prerequisite to understanding the meaning of the mothers’ communications. Their value for research was fourfold. Firstly, processing the group’s emotional reactions prompted exploration of what might be contributing to the emotional turmoil conveyed by the mothers. Secondly, transference to the observers suggested both the salience of aspects of the mothers’ pasts and also areas of need in the present. Thirdly with regard to culture, surprise indicated the experience of something different, hard to place or separate from ourselves. This invited or demanded an exploration of pre-existing assumptions, for example about what is normative or appropriate to effective mothering. Finally, processing this impact can lead to a radically new idea or line of thought, serving as a point of departure to reorganise or prioritise information.