Becoming a mother: Identity acquisition during the transition to parenthood.
Item
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Title
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Becoming a mother: Identity acquisition during the transition to parenthood.
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Identifier
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AAI9605592
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identifier
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9605592
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Creator
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Ethier, Kathleen Anne.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Kay Deaux
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Date
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1995
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Social | Women's Studies
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Abstract
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The process of identity acquisition is examined in a longitudinal study of women making the transition to motherhood. The growth and development of the mother identity during pregnancy, and the relationship between a mother identity and a pregnancy identity, the latter conceptualized as a threshold identity, are explored. Second, the influence of both active identity work (i.e. pregnancy planning, specific information-seeking, and social acknowledgement), and feedback from external or direct sources (i.e. physical signs and symptoms and infant temperament) on the definition of threshold and goal identities, the importance of these identities, and self-related feelings about pregnancy and motherhood are examined. The potential predictors of the mother identity after childbirth (e.g. social comparison) are also assessed.;Results indicate that the majority of women begin to define themselves as mothers during pregnancy, that this identification increases in importance and elaboration across the transition, and that women feel more confident about their abilities after childbirth. At the same time, women decrease their identification with non-familial roles and identities. In addition, the majority of women named a threshold identity, although how this identity was labeled and defined varied. Some women named separate pregnancy and mother identities during pregnancy, however, other women combined these identities into a "mother-to-be" identity. Variation in these patterns was associated with feelings about pregnancy.;Active preparation for pregnancy was associated with identification of oneself as a mother and positive feelings about pregnancy and motherhood early in the transition. The most important predictors of newly acquired identity are external feedback (conceptualized in this study as infant temperament), time spent performing role behaviors, and social comparison with other mothers.;The results of this study provide insights into the process of identity acquisition for women in the transition to motherhood: the patterns of how women begin to identify themselves as mothers, the presence of a threshold identity, and the role of particular types of identity work and external feedback in identity acquisition. They also raise questions about the meaning of the labels women use to define their identities and the role of preparation and social interaction in the acquisition process.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
