Ambivalence in Mentorship ― An Exploration of Emotional Complexities

Ambivalence in Mentorship is based on research of scores of mentors and protégés in longstanding relationships representing a range of career fields. Using vivid case narratives, the book takes a nuanced look at the emotional complexities of their mentorships—the intense passions and hopes that get stirred up in these professional, yet intimate connections as well as the turmoil created by disappointment, betrayal, competition, and the mere readiness to move on and separate from these relationships.

Framing the psychodynamics of mentorship dialectically, the book unpacks the relational struggles in mentorship to trace how these emerge from strong emotional bonds. This is accomplished by delineating and illustrating three modes of the ambivalent attachment between mentor and protégé: idealization, loyalty, and generativity. Pushing at the boundaries of research on the topic, Ambivalence in Mentorship locates this relationship at the crosshairs of authority and love—highlighting the interplay of intrapsychic, interpersonal, cultural, and historical forces that drive this relationship to be at once vital and risky. Professionals in the social sciences, business, and management fields will find that the book offers a fresh perspective and authentic voice to the very real joys and complicated feelings that attend mentorship.

Bonnie D. Oglensky, Ph.D., is a psychoanalytically-oriented sociologist, professor, and Academic Director of the Sociology and Human Relations Programs at The City University of New York, School of Professional Studies (USA). Her commitment to exploring the socio-emotional complexities of professional life has led to research and publication of well-received books and articles including The Part Time Paradox: Time Norms., Professional Life, Family and Gender co-authored with C.F. Epstein, C. Seron, and R. Saute (Routledge). Prior to academia, Dr. Oglensky served on the executive team of Project Liberty—New York City's emergency mental health response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and practiced as a clinical social worker.