Mothering Identity Experiences
A Backwards Glance
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21638554 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Robyn Simmons (0000-0001-8993-6179, Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA, USA, corresponding author), Kelly Coker (Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA, USA), Brooks Bastian Hanks (Walden University), Donna S Sheperis (0000-0001-5732-8697, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA, USA), Lynn Bohecker (0000-0001-5451-6561, Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA, USA) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 401-409 |
| Publication date | 2021-10-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Family Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1066-4807 • E-ISSN: 1552-3950 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/10664807211023927 |
| OpenAlex | W3180822571 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 18 |
Aspects of human growth and development have been studied since the inception of psychology as a field of science. The impact of the quality of mothering on children has been highly researched. However, little attention has been paid in the professional literature to the experiences of mothers as their children move through developmental stages. The focus of this hermeneutic phenomenology study was to investigate how mothers’ experiences of their child's growth and development changed her perceptions of her identity and herself. Participants were eight women who had launched the oldest child from the home within the last 2 years. Extensive data analysis and triangulation procedures were conducted to develop themes. Universal themes experienced by all participants were categorized as internal (questioning, comparison, being purposeful, and feeling supported) and external (experiencing joy). Some participant experiences were influenced by incidental themes such as subsequent children, expectations versus reality, and spirituality. Participants’ experience of their mothering role was also impacted by the process of letting go through the developmental progression of their children. Clinical implications are discussed
Developmental psychology · Feeling · Interpretative phenomenological analysis · Lived experience · Perception · Psychotherapist · Qualitative research · Sociology · Spirituality · Triangulation · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Family and Disability Support Research · Family Support in Illness · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology
Representations of Motherhood
The cultural contradictions of motherhood
Insight into the Parenthood Paradox
Supermum, superwife, supereverything
I can feel myself being squeezed and stretched, moulded and grown, and expanded in my capacity to love loudly and profoundly”
The effects of motherhood timing on career path
The relationship between disconfirmed expectations of motherhood, depression, and mother–infant attachment in the postnatal period
From Motherhood Premium to Motherhood Penalty? Heterogeneous Effects of Motherhood Stages on Women’s Economic Outcomes in Urban China
Naturalistic inquiry
In a different voice
Expanding the Self
Conceiving and Investigating Motherhood
| Citations per year | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |