BETWEEN THE SILENCE OF THE NEST AND THE ECO OF RELATIONSHIPS: THE WOMAN FACING HER CHILDREN LEAVING HOME FROM A SYSTEMIC PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

This article aimed to understand how motherhood constitutes a significant milestone in the lives of many women, often linked to the construction of identity, a sense of purpose, and the organization of family routines. However, the departure of children from home represents an important transition that can provoke profound emotional impacts, requiring the woman/mother to reorganize herself both internally and within family relationships. This study seeks to understand how women experience this stage, analyzing its emotional implications and family reconfigurations from the perspective of systemic psychology. To this end, a narrative literature review was conducted, encompassing publications in Portuguese and English available in the SciELO, PePSIC, and Google Scholar databases, as well as classical and contemporary works on the subject. The descriptors used included “empty nest,” “family life cycle,” “woman in the life cycle,” and “children leaving home.” The findings indicate that the departure of children can represent both a rupture and an opportunity for growth, depending on the emotional, social, and family resources available. At this stage, the woman/mother may discover a new identity for herself as a woman, a new way of understanding her relationships as a mother, and a new meaning for her presence within her family system, thus reframing these relationships. The study also highlights the importance of clinical and theoretical approaches sensitive to this stage of the life cycle, capable of offering support and fostering the redefinition of female identity.