John. Of course, Annie was surprised because she had never known her mother speaking to her in that way. It was the first time Annie perceived that the long lasting connection between herself and her mother was not as strong as it used to be. Now that Annie was older, Mrs. John also refused to look through the old trunk where Annie's belongings where kept. Annie and her mother had always been fond of looking through the trunk because they would remember important moments of their lives. Annie had enjoyed that activity not only because she learnt about her past but also because her mother talked to her in such a lovely way that it made her happy. As she saw that now her mother had changed her attitude towards her and had become more distant, Annie became aware of the fact that they were no longer one. But finally, the incident that intensified Annie's realization that she and her mother did no longer form a unity was her seeing her parents having sexual intercourse. One day, she found her mother kissing and fondling her father in bed. This experience strengthened her awareness of her and her mother's separation because she saw her mother had a life of her own and a special relationship with her father from which she was excluded. It is not surprising that Annie's perceiving that she and her mother were separate beings forced her involuntarily to take a step forward in the process towards becoming an individual.
Annie's discovery that she could cope with new situations without the guidance of her mother constituted the second stage in the girl's process towards individuation. When Annie entered High School, the girl found herself in a different world. As the school, teachers and classmates were all new to Annie, she did not know if she was going to be able to face this unfamiliar environment on her own. But then, as time passed, the young girl realized that she could manage perfectly well and that she even enjoyed doing activities that did not include her mother.
