Domineering Mother Carpenter
Agnes Carpenter was a very strong woman with a whole lot of anxieties. She would casually comment on Karen’s eating habits, questioning the number of cookies she had had that day and warning her not to eat too much. This sullen communication tormented Karen and created a distorted sense of reality in which her mother basically controlled her feelings of self-worth.
Harold and Agnes Carpenter circa 1983. Photo by Bei / Shutterstock
But Karen never stopped yearning for her mother’s approval. When Karen found out her fiancé had lied about a pressing issue, she cried to her mother that she wanted out of the wedding. But Agnes coldly snapped back with, “You made your bed, Karen, now you have to lie in it!” which, of course, she did.