APA Dictionary of Psychology

the stereotypic mother of an individual with schizophrenia. She is held to be emotionally disturbed, cold, rejecting, dominating, perfectionistic, and insensitive. At the same time, however, she is overprotective, fosters dependence, and is both seductive and rigidly moralistic. Historically, this type of mother was considered to play a causal role in the development of schizophrenia, but this view is no longer held. [first defined in 1948 by Frieda Fromm-Reichmann]