Feeling Pride and Awe in Parenthood
The Unique Emotional Rewards of Parenting on Well-Being
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21208577 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Princeton X Chee (0000-0002-5945-3026, University of Rochester, corresponding author), Claire J Shimshock (0000-0001-9936-6173, University of Rochester), Bonnie M Le (0000-0002-1857-6716, University of Rochester) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 149-159 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Social Psychological and Personality Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1948-5506 • E-ISSN: 1948-5514 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/19485506251332690 |
| OpenAlex | W4409625816 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 61 |
Parenthood is challenging but fulfilling. We examined how parental pride and awe may enhance various aspects of well-being across cross-sectional ( N = 505), longitudinal ( N = 130), and experimental ( N = 261) studies, along with an internal meta-analysis. Thematic analyses suggested similar yet unique frequencies and underpinnings of pride (child growth, talent, resilience, and good behavior) and awe (child love/kindness, growth, talent, and shared moments). Beyond this, we found that pride predicted greater pleasure (i.e., high satisfaction and low negative affect), and awe predicted greater pleasure, purpose (i.e., meaning), and variety (i.e., psychological richness). We found that strengthened relationship quality with a child, self-transcendence (for pride and awe), and slowed time perception (for awe) served as mechanisms for these effects. Furthermore, these rewards were consistent across parent and child characteristics and could not be explained by child temperament or other positive emotions. These findings illuminate how pride and awe can make parenting bright, meaningful, and rich
Developmental psychology · Feeling · Pride · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Media Influence and Health · Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction · Psychology · Social Psychology
Introduction to Meta‐Analysis
A Theory of Communal (and Exchange) Relationships
Positive emotion dispositions differentially associated with Big Five personality and attachment style
Meaning in Life
Social Functions of Emotions at Four Levels of Analysis
Self-Transcendent Emotions and Their Social Functions
The nature of awe
Emerging Insights Into the Nature and Function of Pride
Self-Transcendence
Awe Expands People’s Perception of Time, Alters Decision Making, and Enhances Well-Being
Experimental methods
The development of the Awe Experience Scale (AWE-S)
Mini Meta‐Analysis of Your Own Studies
G*Power 3
Thematic analysis
The Satisfaction With Life Scale
LmerTest Package
Interrater reliability
Conducting Meta-Analyses in R with the metafor Package
Interparental Positivity Spillover Theory
“At Least Somebody Sees You as a Hero”
Women’s Emotions During Interactions With Their Grown Children in Later Adulthood
Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect
How and when awe improves meaning in life
Parenthood and Marital Satisfaction
Parenthood and Well‐Being
The psychologically rich life questionnaire
Awe, the diminished self, and collective engagement
The psychological structure of pride
Creating and undermining social support in communal relationships
New parental positivity
Awe, the small self, and prosocial behavior
Awe motivates authentic-self pursuit via self-transcendence
Awe, daily stress, and elevated life satisfaction
My child is God’s gift to humanity
What good are positive emotions in crisis? A prospective study of resilience and emotions following the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11th, 2001
Approaching awe, a moral, spiritual, and aesthetic emotion
The meaning in life questionnaire
The pains and pleasures of parenting
Subjective well-being
Parenting goal pursuit is linked to emotional well-being, relationship quality, and responsiveness
The personal and interpersonal rewards of communal orientation
The family ties that protect
Compassionate love for close others and humanity
Satisfaction with Parenting
Does the Amount of Time Mothers Spend With Children or Adolescents Matter
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |