>>7290214As someone pointed out already, look for narcissistic abuse as a writing ploy.
On top of that, you can also use the motif of jealousy and fear of being useless. One of the main driving forces for women is reproduction, creating something and nurturing it. It can be a child or a substitute, such as a book or a business. What it is can be rendered as irrelevant. It's the instinct-triggered behaviour that matters.
For example, the mother was a model when she was young and she was used to being admired and desired by men. As she gets older, unless she has some other redeeming qualities, she will slowly be forgotten. This will trigger the idea in her head that she is no longer seen as a viable mating partner, which will cause her to look for a scapegoat. Obviously, her daughter can be seen as one, which is why she refuses to let her get the attention of men by allowing her to have a boyfriend. She can even go as far as trying to seduce that young ma herself, in an attempt to reassess her female prowess.
This whole concept is rather difficult to explain without triggering feminists. But to a woman, reproduction (not necessarily in the child-bearing sense) is very important when it comes to assessing one's worth. It basically comes down to power: if a woman is desired by many men, she can chose who to have as a partner. Once the men stop showing interest, she will instantly feel that she is no longer worthy. Even if she never intended to have intercourse with a certain man, the attention she gets is reassuring and is perceived as a validation of self-worth.
Hope this makes sense, I gotta run to work so my explanation may be a bit rushed and patchy.
Good luck with the writing!
