Thesis: Psychological readiness for motherhood. Am I a good mom
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I read on the Internet, I will share with you. all this is relevant, and especially for me, for example, points 2, 4 and 7. And what is the main thing for you? What is missing in your relationship with your children, in your opinion? ...
1. Ability to love
This quality is the basis of the entire upbringing of a child from birth. Love is supposed to be unconditional. There should be no reasoning that parents devoted themselves and their love to their children and at the same time count on some reverse equivalent in the future, while giving rise to a feeling of guilt in children for such care. - does not mean that you should tell him about it every minute. A child is a very sensitive nature, and if you really love him, he will understand it from your look, feel it in your voice, in gentle touches, in hugs. He will understand that you love him for who he is, because he is your child.
2. Patience
This is a very serious quality, not all parents have it. The ability to patiently listen to “one hundred thousand whys” and answer them, withstand sometimes inexplicable bouts of capricious behavior and not break loose - this requires certain mental efforts from parents. Coping with such situations, learning to control oneself, finding time for why and - this is one of the tasks for the self-education of the parents themselves. Will the parents cope with it - the problems will be solved calmly, and each time more and more successfully.
3. Honesty and sincerity
Be honest not only with the child, but above all in front of yourself and others. You should always remember: if you can swear devotion and love to someone in the presence of a child, and then “spill them with mud”, you have already sown the seeds of future deceit in a child. And children feel insincerity intuitively. The kid will never be disposed towards those who communicate with him feignedly, no matter how beautifully it is presented.
4. Unobtrusive
When children are asked to tell what traits they do not like in their parents, the majority answers -. In other words, obsession. Don't do that, eat that, etc. A familiar picture? Children who are literally “led by the hand” like this grow up insecure, lack of initiative and, as a rule, achieve little in life. Our child has the same right as you to his mistakes, his individuality, his own "I", he must have his own view of the world, of the environment. The task of parents is to tactfully correct and shape his behavior.
5. Self-confidence
The confidence of parents involuntarily develops the same quality in children as well; in such parents, the child will be able to preserve this character trait necessary for a full life in his future independent life.
6. Flexibility, diplomacy
You can often hear from parents that the methods of upbringing that they adhered to suddenly begin to fail at one fine moment. It `s naturally. After all, the child grows, and himself in this world by leaps and bounds. Parents simply have to take this into account when educating. What is acceptable for a 4-5 year old child is completely unsuitable for a ten year old. Therefore, flexibility in communication, diplomacy, especially in the teenage period of children's development, is very important.
7. Strictness combined with softness
This quality of the parents' character is no less important. Children should clearly understand that not everything in life is allowed, restrictions apply not only to them, adults also have them. The ability to adhere to certain rules, norms of behavior is the law of life. But you should not go too far. Somewhere it is possible to soften the requirements. If they are reasonable.
8. Tact
This quality cannot be overestimated - a tactful, careful attitude towards the child will allow you to bring up a sensitive, adequate in behavior, sociable person who will never behave in a society unceremoniously and defiantly.
9. Neatness
If it is inherent in parents, children will inherit it. And there is nothing more to add here.
10. Sequence of requirements and promises
It is important for proper upbringing to understand that the requirements that you set for a child must be met. And if you doubt that the child will do what you wanted to achieve from him, you do not need to make such demands. If this condition is violated, the authority of parents is sharply reduced. Children begin to understand that the words of their parents mean little and can be ignored. The same goes for promises. They promised to do it, no matter what the cost. Or argue with your child.
Super-moms are always ready to refuse communication with those friends, relatives and colleagues who are trying to use them for their own purposes, thereby taking away their strength and time. Such mothers understand that the time freed up thanks to the word “no” can be spent on things that are important for themselves and their children.
2. Super moms recognize when they need help.
Experts have noticed that super moms easily recognize when they need help, and do not feel the need to do absolutely everything on their own, and at the highest level. They think it's very easy to ask a friend or mom for help! They never feel overwhelmed if they turn to someone for help. They themselves are well aware of how important it is to help their girlfriends or sisters who have children, so they do not feel obligated, or, even worse, bad mothers. It is important to remember that everyone, even a super mom, needs to relax sometimes and do something exclusively for themselves.
3. Super moms are still strict parents.
Super moms set fair but strict rules, assign age-appropriate chores around the house, and hold their kids accountable for their behavior. They know that helping children become responsible adults is the goal of parenting, and making friends with children is the joy of parenting.
4 Super Moms Get Married
Super-moms understand that a full-fledged family and a healthy atmosphere in the house are very important for a child. Children who grow up in such a family usually achieve greater success in life. Children need to see that their parents love each other. Super-moms skillfully establish communication with potential husbands and easily. Marriage is a priority for them.
5. Super moms are friends with the moms of their kids' friends.
They understand that parenting is a difficult task and there is no need to reinvent the wheel. They understand that mothers who are older than them have a lot of experience in raising children, and important knowledge can be gleaned from them. Moms of the same age face the same parenting challenges and can work together to solve them. And younger mothers will be able to learn something new from their girlfriends.
6. Super Moms Trust Their Intuition
Super moms know what is right for one child may be completely wrong for another child, and they use intuition as a means of finding the right solution. Super moms seek advice when needed, but they also listen to their little ones' unique sayings and opinions.
7. Super moms are able to understand
Super moms know that perfection is fantastic, and missteps are an opportunity for change and growth. They understand that their children will explore the boundaries of possible behavior in order to learn about the possible consequences. In this situation, the most important thing is to establish a trusting and friendly relationship with your children.
8 Super Moms Show Wisdom
Even if your little one set the table incorrectly after you showed her how to do it many, many times, or your eldest son failed the test, although you spent the whole evening preparing for it together, be wise, you should not scold your children. They don't always do things well enough, but the fact that they do something shows that they are learning and will soon learn everything they need in life. So, be patient, super moms!
9 Super Moms Know The Importance Of Delegation
Super moms are sure that no one can do their job as well as themselves. However, they understand that allowing other people to take on their own roles is a good idea. Especially if they can trust the people who are entrusted with all this.
10. Super moms prefer spontaneity.
Super moms never miss an opportunity to break out of their strict work schedules, get out early and have a fun night out with their kids. They use every opportunity to enjoy the fact that they are moms!
Federal Agency for Education
State educational institution of higher professional education
Vyatka State University for the Humanities
Faculty of Mathematics
Department of Psychology
Final qualifying work
Performed:
5th year student of the Faculty of Mathematics
Gaidai O.A.
Scientific adviser:
Candidate of Psychological Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Psychology
Matveeva E.V.
Reviewer:
Senior Lecturer, Department of Applied Psychology
Polubeiko O.K.
Approved for defense in the state attestation commission
"___" __________2005 department
Introduction. 3
Chapter 1. Theoretical aspects of psychological readiness. 7
to motherhood. 7
1.1. The concept of "motherhood" and its functions. 7
1.2. Definition of the concept of "Psychological readiness for motherhood" and characteristics of its components. 10
1.3. Psychophysiological readiness of women for motherhood. 25
Chapter 2. Study of the degree of psychological readiness for motherhood of women of different ages. 29
2.1. Purpose, tasks, hypothesis, subject of research. 29
2.2. Research methods. thirty
2.3. Description of the sample. 39
2.4. Results and their analysis. 39
Conclusion. 77
Literature. 79
Application. 82
Introduction
The study of the psychology of motherhood is one of the little-developed areas of science. The study of readiness for motherhood in recent years has been carried out in various aspects: in terms of sociological research on late motherhood and motherhood of minors; in the study of risk factors for mental pathology of a child in connection with social and mental anomalies of mothers (Brutman V.I., Severny A.A., Kopyl O.A., Bazhenova O.V., etc.); in the phylogenetic aspect (Filippova G.G.). Significant personal characteristics of the future mother are being studied (SladeP., MacphersonS.), factors influencing maternal behavior are being studied (KlosM., JeranldR.).
As S.Yu. Meshcheryakov, with all the variety of approaches to the study of motherhood, a systematic study of the relationship between readiness for motherhood, real maternal behavior and child development has not been conducted. Filippova G.G., author of the book "Psychology of motherhood", points out: "the problem of women's readiness for motherhood remains very problematic." “There are still quite a few women who give birth to children not because they are happy in life, filled with love and want to convey this happiness and love to children, but simply because they got married, and it’s supposed to have children,” Spivakovskaya A. .WITH.
The relevance of studying psychological readiness for motherhood is dictated by the contradiction between the severity of demographic problems associated with a drop in the birth rate, a huge number of disintegrating families and an avalanche increase in the number of orphans with living parents, with an increase in the number of cases of child abuse and the lack of development of social and psychological assistance to families and primarily a woman.
Sakvarelidze E.V. indicates that if in 1945 there were approximately 678 thousand orphans in Russia, today there are twice as many of them. The prevalence of refusalism (about 20 thousand cases per year in Russia) is not comparable with the prevalence of abortions (about 20,597,000 in 1997). Russia ranks first in the number of abortions (T.P. Rednikova). In every fourth Russian family there are facts of violence against children (Silaste G.G.). According to the UN, about two million children under the age of fourteen die every year from the arbitrariness of their parents (L.S. Alekseeva). Oddly enough, gross violence against children is more often practiced by the mother (Arefiev A.L.). Native mothers are guilty of 66% of cases of physical abuse and 75% of the facts of poor care and neglect of children (Kinard E.M.). In modern conditions, 89% of women of childbearing age deliberately refuse to give birth to subsequent children, completing their reproductive function before the age of 30 (Kulmukhametova N.G.).
The facts available in the scientific and journalistic literature indicate that modern young people are extremely little oriented towards fulfilling maternal and paternal roles (Titarenko V.Ya., Mytil A., etc.). The functions of the mother do not occupy a central place in the self-consciousness of a modern woman - this alarming fact is noted by many domestic and foreign scientists. A woman gives birth to a child, but considers it a burden (Berdnikova T.V.). In modern conditions, when the social burden on a woman has increased, it has become much more difficult than before for her to combine labor, socially useful activities and motherhood, this combination is increasingly acquiring a social character. According to Matveeva E.V. the possibility of a harmonious combination of professional and family roles by a woman is largely determined by her practical readiness for family life and motherhood.
Filippova G.G. indicates that more and more often, on the eve of the birth of a child, parents are unaware of the elementary features of the development of the child and their functions in caring for him. In addition, the decrease in the number of children leads to the fact that often the first baby that a woman meets after becoming a mother is her own child. Under these conditions, in addition to the need to increase parental competence, there is an awareness of insufficiency in emotional experiences, unpreparedness for the emergence of maternal feelings.
In the course of the research, Filippova G.G. concluded that the unwillingness to accept the maternal role leads to the presence of an internal conflict, indicators of which are a conflicting and disturbing image of the unborn child, an objective attitude towards the child on the part of the mother, a lack of emotional acceptance of oneself as a mother, an uncomfortable attitude towards one's own maternal position.
Domestic and foreign researchers believe that the lack of formation of psychological readiness to perform maternal functions leads to a distortion of the moral values of the woman's personality itself, to the formation of the ideology of anti-motherhood, detophobia.
These circumstances determine the relevance of the work.
Target Our study consisted in studying the degree of psychological readiness for motherhood of Russian women.
object
Subject research are the characteristics of social-personal, cognitive-operational, need-motivational readiness for motherhood, which make up the psychological readiness for motherhood.
Hypotheses research:
For this purpose, the following tasks :
1) to reveal the concept of "psychological readiness for motherhood" and determine its components;
2) explore the maternal position of women with children;
3) select methodological tools for measuring psychological readiness for motherhood;
4) to conduct a comparative analysis of the degree of readiness for motherhood of women of different age groups, with and without children.
Methods And methods :
1) Questioning method.
2) Drawing projective test "My baby".
3) Projective methodology "Parental essay".
Chapter 1. Theoretical aspects of psychological readiness
to motherhood.
1.1. The concept of "motherhood" and its functions.
Motherhood is studied in line with various sciences: history, cultural studies, medicine, physiology, biology of behavior, sociology, psychology. Each science studies and defines motherhood, based on its goals and objectives. Interest in the comprehensive study of motherhood has appeared relatively recently. But today there is no single definition of the concept of "motherhood".
In the dictionary of the Russian language S.I. Ozhegov, “motherhood” is interpreted as “the state of a woman during pregnancy, childbirth, feeding a child; the mother's consciousness of her kinship with her children.
In the sexological dictionary, motherhood is defined as a function of the female body, aimed at the continuation of the human race and including biological (bearing, giving birth and feeding a child) and social (raising a child) aspects.
Filippova G.G. considers motherhood as a psychosocial phenomenon: as providing conditions for the development of a child, as part of a woman's personal sphere.
Representatives of the feminist approach (EA Kaplan, E. Oakley) declare motherhood to be an essential, albeit optional, part of a woman's life.
Most of the theories of motherhood (psychoanalysis, biosociology, theories based on the ideas of Rousseau) consider motherhood, first of all, as a duty, work.
Brutman V.I. defines motherhood as one of the social roles of women, the content of which is determined by social norms and values.
“Motherhood,” says the Italian psychologist A. Minegetti, “in fact, is just the performance by a woman of a role memorized from childhood.”
Horvath F. defines motherhood as the personal qualities of a woman, her biological and psychological characteristics, which a woman has, as it were, in herself, as some kind of artistic ability, like an innate talent.
Matveeva E.V. defines it as a special type of woman's activity, based on the position of Davydov V.V. about the typology of activities. VV Davydov singled out the types of activity that developed and arose in the process of ontogenesis. The latter are designated as reproducing. Matveeva E.V. believes that motherhood belongs to this type of activity.
Minyurova S.A., Teterleva E.A. note that all psychological work in the field of motherhood allows us to distinguish two main areas of modern research. The first is devoted to a discussion of the qualities, behavior of the mother, the study of their influence on the development of the child. The mother is considered in terms of duty as a determinant of the development of the child's personality, as an object - the bearer of parental functions, devoid of subjective psychological reality. The second direction of the analysis of motherhood focuses on the idea of the subjectivity of a woman-mother. Therefore, analyzing motherhood, the authors define it as a unique situation in the development of a woman's self-awareness, which becomes a stage of rethinking her own childhood experience from parental positions, a period of integration of the image of a parent and a child.
Thus, there is no single, unambiguous concept of "motherhood". For a holistic vision of motherhood, it is necessary to identify the functions inherent in the mother.
The functions of the mother are quite complex and diverse. They consist in satisfying all the physiological needs of the child, ensuring his emotional well-being, in the development of attachment, the basic structures of attitude to the world, communication, the main personal qualities of the child and his activities.
Filippova G.G. identifies two interrelated groups of maternal functions: species-typical and concrete-cultural.
The typical functions of the mother include the following.
1. Providing a stimulating environment for pre- and postnatal development of cognitive and emotional processes.
2. Providing conditions (in the form of sharing activities with the child) for the development of a species-typical structure of activity.
3. Providing conditions for the emergence of species-typical needs that are formed in vivo: the need for emotional interaction with an adult, for receiving positive emotions from an adult, for including an adult in sensory-practical activity, the need for adults to evaluate their activity and its results, cognitive need, etc., and also the formation of attachment.
4. Providing conditions for the development of species-typical means of reflection in the form of the formation of a need for communication, as a backbone for the sphere of communication.
5. Providing conditions for the development of motivational mechanisms.
Specific cultural functions are more difficult to characterize. The mother performs all of the above species-typical functions according to the model of motherhood available in her culture, which includes not only the operational composition and care technology of upbringing, but also the model of the mother’s experiences, her relationship to the child and her functions, as well as ways of emotional interaction with the child. Filippova refers the following to this group of maternal functions.
1. Providing the mother with an objective environment and conditions for sensory-practical, play activities and communication that contribute to the formation of cultural characteristics of the cognitive sphere and motor skills.
2. Providing conditions for the formation of a cultural model of attachment.
3. Providing conditions for the formation of cultural characteristics of a socially comfortable environment.
4. Organization of conditions (subject, game environment, communication) for the formation of cultural characteristics of the style of achievement motivation.
5. Providing conditions for the formation of the child's main cultural models: value-semantic orientations, family, motherhood and childhood, etc.
Filippova G.G. notes that not all of these functions are recognized by the mother. Even science, many of them have become known only in recent decades, and there is no reason to believe that their knowledge has already been completed. However, the mother has successfully performed these functions for many millennia. They are also well mastered by culture and are represented in the set of rules, norms, rituals, beliefs, and customs. Some of the maternal functions, such as the satisfaction of the child's organic needs, the formation of certain personal qualities in him, are sufficiently recognized by the mother and society. Others exist in the public consciousness and in the consciousness of the mother in a transformed form, ideas about their significance for the child, to varying degrees, approach the biological and sociocultural tasks of its development.
Filippova G.G.'s view regarding maternal functions is not the only correct and definitively determined. Various areas in psychology have their own subject of study and, depending on this, evaluates and interprets the functions of the mother.
1.2. Definition of the concept of "Psychological readiness for motherhood" and characteristics of its components.
From the point of view of motherhood researcher Matveeva E.V. The main determinant of maternal behavior is the degree of psychological readiness for motherhood. The author's starting position is that the success of maternal functions and the quality of the maternal position depend on the psychological readiness of a woman for motherhood.
The study of readiness for motherhood in recent years has been carried out in various aspects, but with all the variety of approaches to the study of this topic, a systematic study of the relationship between readiness for motherhood, real maternal behavior and child development has not been conducted. Therefore, the question of the leading factor providing this connection remains open.
When studying the psychological readiness for motherhood, the changes in life that await a woman with the birth of a child are analyzed, which are extremely deep.
The birth of a child will bring many changes for which a woman must be prepared. That is, she must be ready to become a mother, she must consciously assume the fulfillment of maternal functions.
Most authors ( Brutman V.I., Batuev A.S., Vinnikot D.V., Minyurova S.A., Khamitova I.Yu.), who study the problem of readiness for motherhood, believe that readiness for motherhood is formed throughout life. The formation process is influenced by both biological and social factors, since readiness for motherhood has, on the one hand, a powerful instinctive basis, and on the other hand, it acts as a personal formation, which reflects all previous experience of her relationship with her parents, peers, husband and other people. .
One of the researchers of psychological readiness for motherhood Meshcheryakova S.Yu. considers this concept as a specific personal formation, the core generatrix of which is the subject-object orientation in relation to the unborn child. This position in determining readiness for motherhood is explained by the assumption of Meshcheryakova S.Yu. that the subjective attitude towards the unborn child is projected into the style of maternal behavior and thus provides the most favorable conditions for the mental development of the infant, the most important indicators of which are the level of communication between the child and the mother, the features of the formation of his self-image and the need for empathy.
1. The first group includes features of the communicative experience of women from her early childhood.
This component was determined by Meshcheryakova S.Yu., based on the concept of M.I. Lisina, who believes that the foundations of personality, a person’s attitude to the world and to himself are laid from the first days of life in communication with close adults. The first personal education that develops in communication can also be considered as a contribution to the formation of future parental behavior. If the experience of communicating with loved ones was positive, this means that the starting conditions for the formation of a subjective attitude towards other people were favorable and the basis for the formation of a subjective attitude towards one's child was laid. Meshcheryakova S.Yu. suggested that the nature of the early communicative experience gained by the future mother in communication with close adults can be judged by the affective traces left in her first memories of herself and her parents, their style of upbringing, and her attachments. The author attaches great importance in the development of parental behavior to communication with peers, older and younger children.
2. The indicators of the second group include the experience of a woman's relationship with an unborn child.
The most favorable situation for future maternal behavior is the desirability of the child, the presence of the subjective attitude of the mother towards the unborn baby, which manifests itself in love for him, mental or verbal addressing, the desire to interpret the movements of the fetus as acts of communication.
3. The third group of indicators consisted of attitudes towards the strategy of raising a child.
The way the expectant mother intends to take care of him, from the author's point of view, also indicates the predominance of a subjective or objective attitude towards the child.
Meshcheryakova S.Yu., without pretending to completeness and final completeness of the model of psychological readiness for motherhood, suggests that the selected indicators in the aggregate can reflect its level and serve as the basis for predicting the effectiveness of subsequent maternal behavior.
Brutman V.I. considers readiness for motherhood as the mother's ability to provide adequate conditions for the development of the child, manifested in a certain type of mother's attitude to the child. The type of maternal attitude, corresponding to the readiness or unpreparedness for motherhood, the author connects with the value of the child for the mother.
Miloserdova E. identifies two main factors that make it possible to determine the psychological readiness for motherhood:
1. Attitude towards pregnancy.
The most favorable option, when pregnancy is desired, is accepted with joy at the level of awareness. This brings a calm course of pregnancy at the psychological and physiological level. Such a woman is ready for motherhood and is able, quite consciously, to endure any difficulties and restrictions for the sake of the child.
2. Behavior of a woman during childbirth.
Often a woman, instead of thinking only about the successful completion of this process for the child, about his problems and condition, instead of empathizing with the baby, mentally helping and supporting him, realizing how difficult it is for him, the woman completely switches to her feelings, to her own person , begins to feel sorry for himself, to blame everyone and everything, thinking that everything will end as soon as possible.
Filippova GG, exploring the psychological factors of maternity disorders, considered the psychological readiness for motherhood as a leading factor in adaptation to pregnancy and motherhood. As components of psychological readiness for motherhood, the value of the unborn child was singled out; yourself as a mother; maternal competence.
Matveeva E.V. defines psychological readiness for motherhood as a specific personal formation, which includes three blocks of readiness: a need-motivational block; cognitive-operational block and block of social and personal readiness for motherhood.
Need-motivational readiness to motherhood implies the need for motherhood and includes the need-emotional and value-semantic components.
The need for motherhood is a complex need. It implies the reflection of one's states and the desire to experience them in the process of interaction with the child and is not limited to the desire to have children (Matveeva E.V.).
Ivannikov V.A. believes that the need for motherhood is a necessary but not sufficient condition for maternal activity, and the motivation to act is the result of a special process - the process of motivation. The motive of activity acts as a direct sense-forming factor.
Filippova G.G. identifies the following main motives for motherhood:
achieve the desired social and age status (I am an adult, independent woman, occupying a certain position in society, having the right to an appropriate attitude towards myself in the family and society);
Satisfying the model of a "full life" (a person must and can have certain things, without this his life is not complete, not the same as others);
· the desire to continue oneself, one's family (to leave behind something in life that itself will also ensure this continuation - to give birth to children, my grandchildren, great-grandchildren);
realization of one's abilities (to raise a child, to pass on his knowledge, life experience);
compensation for their life problems (to become better, smarter, more beautiful, happier than me, to get what I could not get in life);
solving my life problems (to conclude or strengthen a marriage, to prove to myself and others that I am able to give birth and be a mother; to escape from loneliness; to find a helper in old age);
love for children (the most difficult motive, which combines the pleasure of communicating with the child, interest in his inner world, the ability and desire to contribute to the development of his personality and the realization that the child will become independent, “not mine”, will love others, etc. .P.);
reaching a critical age for childbearing.
Different circumstances create completely individual, unique conditions for motivating the birth of a child for each woman.
The need for children is the central link in the need for motherhood. There are no biological laws that force having children (Borisov V.A.). These laws are to be found in the sphere of the social. The need for children, according to the definition of Boyko V.V., is a stable socio-psychological formation of a person, motivated by her inner motives.
The desire to have children may arise unexpectedly, may be expressed implicitly (Orlevskaya M.). It is known that for both men and women, the desire to have children directly depends on their childhood experiences, relationships with parents, and the model of the family in which they grew up. The seal of the past is so distinct that it often determines our desire or, conversely, unwillingness to give rise to a new life.
Need-emotional readiness motherhood is provided by a woman's positive attitude towards pregnancy and attitude (without fear) to childbirth, an emotionally positive image of a child, a desire to take care of him, a joyful and happy attitude to the role of a mother.
A positive attitude towards pregnancy entails a calm course. Such a woman is able, quite consciously, to endure any difficulties and restrictions for the sake of the child. Despite the latter, the image of the unborn child in a woman evokes positive emotions, she is in the "anticipation" of future motherhood.
In the course of the studies, it was found that for women with a negative attitude towards pregnancy, the unborn child is a source of negative emotions. Women with a positive attitude towards pregnancy talk about the desire to show love for the unborn child. Their maternal feelings develop more strongly and are not questioned. Pregnancy for such women is an important function of motherhood and is characterized by a stable positive attitude towards the child, a new meaning of life (Bezrukova O.N.).
If the child is desired, then he is able to personify the woman's idea of \u200b\u200bhappiness. When a child is not expected, premature births are more common. This happens because the woman is in a depressed, tense state, she is oppressed by the thought of the unborn child (Boyko V.V.).
Of great importance is how a woman is set up for the process of childbirth. In modern psychology and psychotherapy, it is believed that a woman's attitude to the birth process significantly affects the success of childbirth, and also reflects the general attitude towards pregnancy, the unborn child, and her new role as a mother.
Negative experiences, acute stressful conditions, persistent fears, the emergence of ambiguous feelings for the unborn child or for herself, and sometimes a kind of ignoring pregnancy may indicate that the expectant mother has unconscious internal problems, a conflict between the desire to have a child and unwillingness to make drastic changes in herself and in life.
During pregnancy, a woman feels that with her firstborn comes the end of her carefree youth. The beauty of the girlish figure disappears, the charm of youth seems to be lost. There are various kinds of concerns and fears. A woman should be aware of the difficulties of this period, tune in accordingly and be able to survive it. And only then will a feeling of joyful expectation hatch (Reinprecht H.). Reinprecht insistently tells expectant mothers: "You must want the unborn child, you must welcome the emerging life, you must consciously be in a state of joyful expectation."
Value-sense readiness to motherhood implies a woman's awareness of the high degree of value of the child and motherhood among other values, the "correct" ideas about the meaning of children and motherhood.
Any woman, whether she likes it or not, is inextricably linked with her mother. Psychological readiness or unpreparedness for motherhood is determined by how harmonious this relationship was. If a girl was a desired child for her mother and did not feel unnecessary and lonely in the family, then, growing up, she, as a rule, does not experience problems creating her own family. From childhood, an unconscious transfer of experience takes place between the daughter and mother, the foundation of female behavior is laid, as well as ideas about basic life values (Orlevskaya M.).
It is desirable that a mother see the meaning of her life primarily in motherhood (F. Horvat).
A study conducted in 1974 revealed "Where do women see their main task - in professional activities or in raising children and organizing the home." In the overwhelming majority of answers (86%) it was indicated that both tasks are the main ones (Yankova Z.A.). And now women are striving for self-realization, achieving great success in their careers. Not simple economic conditions make you think about how to make money (N. Bulenkova). Many researchers note that a modern woman has a confrontation between two life aspirations - the desire for a free living arrangement and the desire to have children. But nevertheless, there has been a shift in the values of a woman towards a child, a family. The results show that the family and children are important for women as basic values.
The value of motherhood for a woman is determined by the value of a child. Filippova G.G. identifies four main types of child value:
1) emotional (the main content of interaction with the child is the positive emotional experiences of the mother);
2) heightened emotional (with options: affective, euphoric, or concentration on the child of all the need for emotional attachment in the absence of other objects of emotional attachment in the mother);
3) replacing the independent value of the child with values from the socially comfortable sphere (the child - as a means to achieve other values: increasing the social and family status of the mother, getting rid of the fear of loneliness in the future, less often - as a source of benefits, etc.)
4) complete lack of value.
A woman, for whom children are a vital value, seeks to see her continuation in them, to educate them in abilities that will help them find their place in life. A person wants to live on - in his children. However, this desire is not instinctive, innate, it is acquired in the process of education. Almost every person needs to realize that he will find his continuation in children. When a child is born, he becomes the most precious being for the parents, for the upbringing of which their active life activity is necessary, that is, a noble goal arises that enriches the meaning of human life (F. Horvat). A child gives an adult a lot. Much more than people usually think: it helps a person become a Human, makes his life fuller, more fulfilling.
A child is an inexhaustible source of life stimuli. This is an infinitely mobile element that brings to life not only care and anxiety, but also joy (Z. Mateychek).
Horvath F. believes that motherhood will always be the main part of a woman's life. From motherhood, she draws the consciousness of the meaning of her life in its entirety. An optimistic attitude towards life is the result of a happy motherhood. Nothing can bring satisfaction to a woman-mother with such force, give her a fuller awareness of the meaningfulness of her life, as the conviction that her maternal destiny has been successfully realized. Motherhood in a woman's life plays a completely unique, very important role.
A woman should be familiar with the deep changes that occur in her body during pregnancy, both physiologically and psychologically, so that she can do everything in her power for the normal course of pregnancy, so that the expectant mother herself feels emotionally comfortable.
A woman should have sufficient information about childbirth. She needs to be prepared for childbirth, both physically and psychologically. A woman who knows how childbirth goes, feels more confident. They will no longer be unexpected for her, and therefore they will not cause unreasonable fear, anxiety and unnecessary unrest, which are so harmful to the unborn child (B. Tekavchich).
Of great importance is the knowledge of the expectant mother about the mental and physical development of the child. Filippova G.G. believes that more and more often, on the eve of the birth of a child, parents are unaware of the elementary features of his development and their functions in caring for him and communicating. It is interesting that, in addition to realizing the low level of parental competence, young mothers are aware of the lack of emotional experiences, unpreparedness for the emergence of maternal feelings.
A woman should know the operations of care, feeding, communication, protection, physical education of the child (gymnastic exercises, the correct regimen and hygiene rules, outdoor games, the influence of the natural forces of nature on the child (air, sun and water)), as well as educational means used by parents . A feature of the care operation is, in addition to their instrumental side, the style of implementation that corresponds to the physical characteristics of the child - first of all, the strength of touch, the location of the hands when holding, the fingers when processing the child, etc. This is best provided by gentle and gentle movements. The skill of movements depends on the confidence and competence of the mother.
Communication operations, which play an important role in a child's life, constitute a special class. Studies have shown that it is communication with adults that determines the internal plan of action of the child (Bolbochanu A.V., Kapcheliya G.I.), the scope of his emotional experiences (Meshcheryakova S.Yu., Sorokina A.I.), the cognitive activity of children (Smirnova E.I.), arbitrariness and will (Kapcheliya G.I.), self-esteem and self-consciousness (Avdeeva N.N.), communication with peers (Galiguzova L.N.).
A computer analysis of speech addressed to an infant showed how important a role in the dialogue with him is played by intonation (Papushek Kh.). The facial expressions of the mother during emotional communication are also of great importance. The emotions of the mother accompany all her actions and allow the child to navigate in various situations. In the early stages of a child's development, communication plays a dual role. On the one hand, it is a necessary condition for the development of speech, on the other hand, it offers many opportunities for working out and automating basic integrative processes. In the absence of such opportunities in a child, not only speech, but also mental development in general is at risk (Papushek Kh.).
At the earliest stages of development, the characteristics of the child are quite rigidly determined by the functions of the mother, and their violation leads to changes in the overall mental development of the child by the type of deficiency or distortion. The complete deprivation of the child of maternal functions that ensure the emergence of all the basic structures (the development of the child as a human being, the emergence and development of the need for communication, the construction of a working model of the world, attachment behavior) leads to severe hospitalism. Even a partial violation affects the development of the child (Filippova G.G.). This makes it necessary for the future mother to know her functions.
Motherhood is associated with the process of education, the transfer of socially valuable patterns of behavior to the younger generation. But a third of families face serious and 48% - partial difficulties in raising children (N. Bulenkova). One of the reasons given by parents is the lack of pedagogical experience and knowledge. Parents, not having sufficient knowledge of the age and individual characteristics of the child, his development, often carry out education blindly (I. Klemantovich). Therefore, every expectant mother should pay serious attention to the issue of raising a child, should know the basics of the upbringing process.
The more the mother's behavior is oriented towards the child's personality, empathy for him, the desire to create the most favorable conditions, the more openly and emotionally she can express her love, the more favorable conditions she will provide the child in the first months and years of his life.
Block of social and personal readiness to motherhood includes the development of a woman’s gender identity, attitudes towards a strategy for raising a child, an understanding of the mother’s personal qualities that are important for the development of a child, a positive perception of one’s parental role, awareness of responsibility for the development of a child and one’s maternal position, readiness to overcome the difficulties associated with the birth and upbringing of a child .
A woman, as a future mother, takes on a new social role, the role of a mother. The new role changes the social status, requires the fulfillment of new duties. There is an installation in relation to oneself, there is a deep identification with "real" women. She is given the title of mother. The sex-role identification “we are mothers” appears.
But every year the number of females who do not want to be a woman is growing (Buyanov M.I.). They explain this by the fact that a man is freed from the need to give birth to children and support a family. He has more rights and less responsibility - this is what such women value in their idea of \u200b\u200bmen. Such women believe that the birth, upbringing and care of children discriminate against them (T.A. Gurko).
One of the components of this block is the attitude towards the strategy of raising a child. Of great importance is how a woman plans to care for a child (whether to follow a strict regime, whether to offer a pacifier, whether to take it in her arms or strive to teach her to be independent, that is, focus on the needs of the baby or on her own ideas about what he needs); what principles is going to adhere to when raising a baby; what goals does he set when raising a child (Meshcheryakova S.Yu.). Raising children is a big problem these days. This is taught in books and from TV screens, various theories of education are offered, including Rousseau, Korczak and Dr. Spock (A. Varga). The future mother, having information from this "ocean", must choose her own strategy for raising a child.
Children are a reflection and continuation of their parents. Reflection - because they absorb what adults give them. Continuation, because they change, develop, use in their lives received from their parents. If a mother feels herself to be something unchanging, not subject to improvement, if the parents have no idea what it is to work on themselves, they have no inner experience of such work, this is reflected in their attitude towards the child. If a mother considers her own changes from the angle of acquiring new knowledge, "external" skills, she will notice this in the child as well. If parents consider their changes from the point of view of developing internal qualities, cultivating in themselves, for example, greater tolerance, greater consistency and purposefulness, greater benevolence, etc., then the attitude towards the development of the child will be more complete. The better a mother knows how to educate herself, the better she understands what it means to educate a child (I. Fridman).
Bulenkova N., speaking about the personal qualities of the mother, quotes the words of the great Confucius: “If you want to change the state, start with the provinces. If you want to change a province, start with districts. If you want to change neighborhoods, start with cities. If you want to change the city, start with the streets. If you want to change the street, start with houses. If you want to change homes, start with your family. If you want to change your family, start with yourself." This statement suggests that the development of the child is determined by the personal qualities of the mother; children both consciously and unconsciously adopt from adults their behavior, habits, mannerisms, character traits, both positive and negative. The personal qualities of the mother are of great importance in the upbringing of the child, as they will certainly be reflected in it. Therefore, every expectant mother should think about what kind of person she wants to raise from her baby and, before starting to raise a child, educate herself.
An integral part of psychological readiness for motherhood is the awareness of responsibility for the development of the child and one's maternal position. Horvath F. believes that responsibility is the result of a feeling of love. Responsibility is based on love, develops from this feeling and comes from motherly love. Maternal love is inextricably linked with a sense of responsibility for the fate of their children. The mother, by virtue of her love for them, is responsible for the children, first of all, to herself. However, one can realize responsibility only with a more or less clear understanding of the goals set, with a clear understanding of the motives, with a certain and mandatory awareness of the meaning of one's activity, one's intentions and efforts. A woman is fully responsible for her desire to become a mother. She solves the problem of a serious and responsible choice that determines her whole future life.
Responsibility for the child is an element of conscious motherhood. Conscious motherhood is, first of all, a rejection of the spontaneous onset of motherhood. Awareness of motherhood, in addition to the desire to have children, also lies in understanding, in a positive attitude towards those new responsibilities, towards that new life that a woman enters when she decides to become a mother. Of great importance are the motives that a woman was guided by when deciding on the birth of a child, what real motives lead her to the desire to become a mother. We can talk about a truly responsible attitude to motherhood when the expectant mother is fully aware of its meaning from a public and personal point of view, when she understands the real problems associated with motherhood, consciously takes on their solution, properly prepares herself for their implementation (Horvat F .).
Properly preparing yourself to fulfill the role of a parent includes a positive vision of motherhood - this is not a look at motherhood through "rose-colored glasses", but these are new opportunities for mobilizing your potential.
E.V. Matveeva believes that the above components can reflect the level of a woman's readiness for motherhood and serve as the basis for predicting the quality of the maternal position and subsequent maternal behavior.
1.3. Psychophysiological readiness of women for motherhood.
The level of psychological readiness for motherhood is influenced by various factors, including the degree of psychophysiological maturity. The age of a woman is of great importance, since women of different age groups are characterized by physiological and psychological characteristics that affect their readiness for motherhood.
Scientists argue that the age of 16 to 18 years is not favorable for the birth of a child, either physiologically or psychologically.
Modern science has established that, despite the acceleration - the acceleration of the pace of individual development - the physical, intellectual and social maturity necessary for the birth and upbringing of a child, alas, does not occur at the age of 16-18. A woman should give birth to her first child at the age of 19 - 28 years (Chimarov V.M.).
Kashapova S.O., examining the psycho-emotional and personality characteristics of girls aged 16 to 18 who are expecting a child, concludes that pregnant women of this age are characterized by inadequate self-esteem, internal conflict, infantilism. When comparing the obtained results with the data on the formation of the maternal sphere in women of optimal childbearing age, the author notes the distorted formation of the maternal sphere of girls under the age of 19 who are expecting the birth of a child.
“In girls of 18 years old, the development of the body has not yet been completed,” writes Anna de Kervasdue. In particular, the author notes that the immaturity of the pelvic bones is the cause of premature birth, congenital deformities. Of great importance at this age are the problems of a moral and social order. These are problems in the family (for example, the reaction of parents), and problems with studies, which the young mother will have to interrupt or quit altogether. As a result, the chances of finding a job and taking a worthy position in society are reduced. These are personal issues as well. The girl feels universal condemnation, her self-esteem decreases, she moves away from others, the feeling of loneliness and uselessness intensifies. There are also problems with the child. The author argues that girls aged 16-18 feel internal confusion, and the difficulties experienced can cause cruelty to the child.
Thus, a girl aged 16-18 is not ready to become a mother. Such an early pregnancy is not desirable not only because of the medical risk for the mother and child, but also because of the moral and social climate, which is by no means favorable for the further development of a young mother and her baby.
In women aged 19-21, the body is fully formed for the birth of a child, but this age is characterized by the fact that most girls are busy with their studies, which is the main motive for limiting the birth rate at this age (Boyko V.V.). Of paramount importance is education, mastering a specialty in order to have a decent job in the future.
Dolbik-Sparrow T.A. in the course of the research, she revealed that student youth is characterized by family disorganization, which leads to a weakening of the sense of family duty and family traditions. In this regard, the birth rate in young families becomes an important problem. Student families with children face the greatest difficulties, for example, combining studies with solving the problems of arranging family life and raising children. This is confirmed by letters from readers of the Happy Parents magazine.
Thus, the period from 19 to 21 years is also not favorable enough for the birth of a child in the sense that for a woman at this stage the main goal is to get an education, and not the birth of a baby.
At the age of 21 to 23 years, the training basically ends, the woman thinks about her future. Namely, about marriage, family, child, and work. The latter is of no small importance. Work should be interesting, with a decent salary. In addition, women believe that it takes some time to settle in a new job, to achieve a certain constancy in their professional activities. All this is necessary in order to “build the foundation” (household amenities, good salary, material well-being) for the planned family life and, in particular, for the birth of a child.
V.S. Corsaco points out that the young couple, who are between 20 and 22 years old, are in the prime of their physical form. Now they can do everything, they have enough energy to raise a healthy child, pregnancy and childbirth pass without any complications. But most couples at this age have not yet solved their financial and housing problems. In addition, the desire to make a career, to realize their potential may interfere with their parental and marital responsibilities.
A woman of 24-26 years old is mainly determined in professional terms. There is also a realization that the goals regarding study and work have been achieved and therefore it is necessary to “move on” to setting and achieving the following, namely, to creating a family and having a child. Korsako V.S. believes that the best age for women to have their first child is 24-27 years.
Medical scientists also consider this age to be the most favorable for the birth of a child. In women older than 29 years, the frequency of birth of children with insufficient body weight and premature birth is higher. Mortality in the first week in such children is 20 times higher, and the likelihood of congenital malformations is also higher (Shneiderman N.A.). This is due to the fact that the possibilities of the female reproductive system after 29 years are reduced.
In addition, the limit of 26 years is explained by the fact that, starting from the age of 25, the following pattern manifests itself: the older the woman, the more often she refuses to have a child (Boyko V.V.). Therefore, the age within 24-26 years is the most favorable for a woman to become a mother.
Thus, women of each age group show certain characteristics that affect their level of readiness for motherhood.
Our analysis of existing approaches and provisions regarding motherhood led to the following conclusions:
There is currently no single definition of motherhood;
There is no strict definition of the concept of "psychological readiness for motherhood";
· There are different views on the constituent components of psychological readiness for motherhood.
Chapter 2 Study of the degree of psychological readiness for motherhood in women of different ages.
2.1. Purpose, tasks, hypothesis, subject of research.
It was of interest to us to study the degree of psychological readiness for motherhood in women of different ages, since we believe that readiness for motherhood characterizes the “starting level” of the content of the maternal sphere, forms the foundation on which the real behavior of women is built.
Knowledge of the degree of readiness of a woman would make it possible to diagnose violations of maternal behavior in a timely manner, to design methods for its correction and prevention. The latter is especially important in modern conditions, when there are urgent problems associated not only with mothers who abandon their children and show open neglect and violence towards them, but also problems of violation of mother-child relations, which serve as reasons for the decrease in the emotional well-being of the child and deviations in his optimal mental development in infancy, early childhood and preschool age.
These circumstances led to target of our study: the study of the degree of psychological readiness for motherhood of Russian women.
Hypotheses research:
3) psychologically more prepared for motherhood are women aged 24-26, since a woman at this age is mainly determined in professional terms. There is a realization that the goals regarding study, work have been achieved and therefore it is necessary to “transition” to setting and achieving the following, namely, to creating a family and having a child. In addition, medical scientists consider this age to be the most favorable for the birth of a child;
4) women aged 16-18 are the least ready to perform maternal functions, since modern science has established that the physical, intellectual and social maturity necessary for the birth and upbringing of a child does not occur at 16-18 years.
Based on the purpose of the study and hypotheses, we determined tasks :
1) explore the maternal position of women with children;
2) select methodological tools for measuring psychological readiness for motherhood;
3) to conduct a comparative analysis of the degree of readiness for motherhood of women of different age groups, with and without children.
object studies are women of four age groups:
1) women aged 16 to 18;
2) women aged 19 to 20;
3) women aged 21 to 23 years;
4) women aged 24 to 26 years.
Item The studies have compiled the basic components of psychological readiness: social-personal, cognitive-operational, motivational-required readiness.
2.2. Research methods.
As the main research method, a specially developed questionnaire(see Appendix 1), which made it possible to identify the degree of value of a child for a woman, the type of maternal attitude towards a child, the level of knowledge of women about the upbringing and development of children.
The questionnaire contained three blocks of questions. The analysis of psychological readiness was carried out according to the criteria, which are the components that make up the psychological readiness for motherhood (described by us in the first chapter): the need-motivational block, including the need-emotional and value-semantic components; the cognitive-operational block and the block of social and personal readiness for motherhood.
The questions of the first block made it possible to measure the level of emotional need for children and the value of children and motherhood in general for a woman. The analysis was carried out based on the results of answers to the questions: “Would you like to have children?”, “How many children do you want?”, “What does a child mean to you?”, “What emotions do you have with small children?”, “How would you define what does it mean to be a mother? and so on.
The value of a child for a woman was analyzed according to the following criteria:
1) high value was determined in the presence of an independent value of the child for a woman;
2) the reduced value of the child is due to other values (for example: ensuring family and social status; one's future; perception of the child as a means of retaining a sexual partner, as a means of self-realization; satisfaction of the need for an object of emotional impact.
When analyzing the mother's attitude to the child, the following criteria were used:
Emotionally warm attitude;
Emotionally cold attitude
detached attitude.
Emotionally warm attitude (attitude towards the child as a subject, with a focus on oneself and at the same time on the state of the child).
Emotionally cold attitude (negative attitude towards young children).
Detachment (indifference towards the child).
The second set of questions is aimed at identifying the level of knowledge of a woman about the features of intrauterine development, development and upbringing of children. It was found out how well the respondents know the functions of the mother in relation to the child. The subjects were asked to indicate what, in their opinion, could have a bad effect on the child during his intrauterine development; should a woman breastfeed herself; what would they include in the duties of the mother in relation to the child, etc.
The third block included questions to determine the level of social and personal readiness for motherhood. The questions of this block made it possible to reveal the degree of satisfaction of the subjects with their gender; the formation of attitudes towards the upbringing strategy; their awareness of responsibility for the development of the child and their maternal position; willingness to overcome the difficulties associated with the birth and upbringing of a child.
Another research method is drawing projective test « My baby". This technique is a drawing technique - a modification of the projective techniques "Drawing of my family" (L. Korman, R. Burns, S. Kaufman, A.I. Zakharov, V.V. Stolina). The technique was used by us to study the emotional readiness for motherhood, as it reflects the experience and perception of a child by women and girls and their attitude towards him. According to the methodology, it was required to draw a child as the subjects imagined it. For the study you need: a sheet of white paper, colored pencils, an eraser. The task time was not limited.
The analysis of the drawing was carried out according to the type of analysis of a "beloved-unloved" person and included two types of graphic presentation:
Graphic quality of the drawing (the number of body parts, the use of color, decoration, the nature of the lines, the accuracy of the drawing);
Formal structure (the size of the image of the child, the proportions of body parts, the age of the child).
When evaluating the emotional attitude towards the child, attention should be paid to the following points of graphic presentations:
1) the number of body parts. Whether the head, hair, ears, eyes, pupils, eyelashes, eyebrows, nose, cheeks, mouth, neck, shoulders, arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet are present.
2) decoration (details of clothing and decorations): cap, collar, bows, pockets, buttons, elements, hairstyles, complexity of clothing, jewelry, patterns on clothing, etc.
3) the number of colors used.
As a rule, a good emotional attitude towards a person is accompanied by a positive concentration on drawing, which as a result is reflected in a large number of body details, decoration, and the use of various colors. And vice versa, a negative attitude towards a person leads to a large schematic, incompleteness of his graphic presentation, sometimes the omission in the drawing of essential parts of the body (head, arms, legs) can indicate, along with a negative attitude towards him, also aggressive motives towards this person.
It is expected that subjects experiencing an emotionally warm relationship with a small child will draw him as a whole figure with the attributes of an infant. This presentation is also characterized by a positive concentration on drawing a large number of body details, decorating the baby's clothes, and a large figure. The negative emotional background is created by the sketchy image of the child, its small size, and gloomy colors. Significantly reduce the figure of the child when they feel its insignificance, uselessness. Very small figures are associated with anxiety, a sense of insecurity. Large, across the entire sheet, figures are drawn by self-confident subjects. The large figure of the child indicates the importance of the child for a woman. The depiction of teenage and older children indicates the devaluation of young children, the avoidance of the need to take care of them.
The negative feelings of the subjects associated with a small child are already reflected in the very attitude to the task: defensive reactions are observed that take the form of a refusal to depict the baby or the form of task transformation (only the head of the child or the envelope for the baby is drawn, in which the child is supposedly, apparently, not visible). ).
In the analysis, attention should also be paid to drawing individual parts of the body. Hands are the main means of influencing the world, of physically controlling the behavior of other people. The image of a child without arms is a symbolic means of limiting his activity. The absence of a head, eyes, mouth can indicate serious violations in the field of communication with a small child, isolation from him. If the head is skipped when drawing, facial features or the face is hatched, then this is often associated with a conflicting, hostile attitude towards a person. The facial expressions of the painted people can also be an indicator of the feelings of the subjects.
A pleasant overall impression is a positive sign that suggests that the emotional state of a person is favorable.
The study also used projective technique "Parent Essay". The technique is one of the most informative and fairly reliable techniques that allow diagnosing the features of the parental position, identifying the features of the mother's perception and experience of the nature of the relationship and interaction with the child. In addition, the technique of "Parental Essay" allows you to identify the personal characteristics of the parent (mother).
The basic theme of the parent essay was the open type theme “Me and my child”. The theme of the essay was set in an open form, without specifying the content that should be presented. Mothers were asked to write whatever they want, consider important and necessary. There is no time limit for writing an essay.
The main parameters of the essay analysis.
Significant for the interpretation of the essay and informative are the features of accepting the task, the volume of the essay, the language and style of narration, underlining in the text, drawings in the text.
Features of accepting a task . A categorical refusal to complete the task can be regarded as a manifestation of psychological protection and barriers to understanding one's relationship with the child. Persistent questions about the content of the essay, which are updated even after the researcher repeats the instructions, indicate high social anxiety and personal unpreparedness of the parent.
Essay volume . Small volume can be interpreted as a rejection of the task, a passive refusal to complete it, or a purely formal performance of the task. An excessively large essay reflects the high emotional involvement of the author.
The form of narration, style and language of the composition . The following forms of narration can be distinguished: stationery(reminiscent of an autobiographical-clerical description, formal in content) can be regarded as an indicator of a significant distance in interaction with the child, difficulties in communicating with him; purely descriptive a form that usually does not contain information about the problems and complaints of the parent; problematic the form is characterized by a minimal description of the properties and qualities of the child, to the extent that it is difficult to determine the age of the child from the content of the essay, and by a stable fixation on the problems that concern the author; descriptive-problematic the form implies a reasonable correlation between the information-event description and the formulation of the problems of the upbringing and development of the child.
Underscores in the test . They allow the author to place accents and highlight the main semantic points. Sometimes the underlining reflects the author's desire to lay the responsibility for the conflict on himself, on another family member or child.
Figures in text . They can be either doodle-type sketches or a thematic drawing. In the first case, the drawings testify to the presence of internal barriers and protections, in the second case, to emotional involvement in parent-child relationships.
Structuring paper space gives information about the individual and personal characteristics of the author of the essay. It indicates the completeness of filling the sheet space, the use of margins, rulers for arranging lines, the use of a paragraph and a “red line”. Continuous unstructured text is an indicator of emotional involvement with the problem, impulsiveness of the author and loss of control. Margins and rulers are an indicator of the author's hypersocialization, his focus on "law and order", the priority of social norms and rules.
Most important for interpreting maternal writings meaningful indicators. These include: compliance of the essay with a given topic; the ratio of the three plans of the composition; use of the name of the child in the composition; a description of the history of the development of the child, his individual personal qualities and preferences, the features of the relationship of the child with the author of the essay and other family members; assessment of the child; the attitude of the author to the child; a description of the system of education implemented by the parent, and an assessment of its effectiveness.
Correspondence of the essay to a given topic – an important indicator of task acceptance. Departure and digression from the theme of the composition may indicate a hidden rejection of the child and the actualization of protective mechanisms.
The ratio of the three plans of the composition . The mother's essay sets three main description plans - the “Child” plan, the “Parent (mother)” plan and the “Our Relationship” plan. The theme "Me and my child" requires the mother to concentrate on all three planes. Informative about the nature of the parental position of the mother will be the balance of these plans.
There are four options for the ratio of the plans of the parent composition:
1) The predominance of the “Child” plan or the “Parent” plan, according to the topic of the essay . In this case, we can talk about the adequate focusing of the author of the essay on the problems of the development of the child or on the problems of upbringing and parenthood.
2) Inadequate to the theme of the composition, the dominance of the “Child” plan or the “Parent” plan. In such a centralization, the limitations of the parental position are manifested. In the first case, this is the parent’s fixation on the child and his problems without proper awareness of his own educational methods of influence and his role in the genesis of the child’s development problems, and often the parent’s desire to completely shift the blame and responsibility for them onto the shoulders of the child himself. In the second case, the rapid departure from the child's problems to the parent's discussion of his own qualities, behavioral patterns, feelings and experiences that go beyond the child-parent relationship is evidence of unresolved personal problems of the mother herself, her educational uncertainty.
3) A detailed positive description of the plan "Our Relationships". A more or less detailed discussion of the relationship between mother and child is an indicator of the mother's awareness of the two-sided dialogical nature of the upbringing process. The degree of development of the "Our Relationships" plan is an indicator of the mother's sensitivity to a comprehensive constructive analysis of the problems and development of the child.
4) The dominance of the plan "Our relations" with the actual complete reduction of the plans "Child" and "Parent". It can be regarded either as an indicator of a high level of conflict in relationships and the mother's helplessness in trying to resolve them. The description of the relationship is negative, replete with examples of conflicts, quarrels, disobedience of the child. Or - as an indicator of the high emotional dependence of the mother on the child by the type of symbiotic attachment.
The name of the child used in the composition , contains important diagnostic information about the features of the emotional acceptance of the child by the mother, the position chosen by her in interaction with him, the degree of closeness-distance between the mother and the child. So, the diminutive form of the name of the child can have an affectionate or derogatory connotation, which makes it possible to judge the peculiarities of the emotional attitude of the mother to the child. Affectionate nicknames can be regarded as evidence of the emotional significance of the child for the mother. The avoidance of the name of the child in the essay indicates a lack of acceptance of the self-worth of the child by the mother. Excessively frequent replacement of the child's name with the pronoun "he" ("she") in the composition may be a fact of the emotional reflection of the child by the mother.
Information about the history of the development of the child . A negative emotional attitude towards the past can be interpreted as evidence of an unresolved conflict, chronic frustration, and psychological trauma. Pessimism in the perception of the present is a manifestation of stress, depression, frustration of the parent, anxiety about the future - as a manifestation of the educational uncertainty of the mother.
Description of the qualities and preferences of the child . The selectivity of the mother in highlighting a certain combination of qualities that characterize the child (physical features and appearance of the child, formal biographical information, description of the knowledge, skills, skills of the child, his achievements, behavior, communication, fulfillment of the requirements of parents, description of intellectual, moral-volitional and emotional - strong-willed qualities, features of gender-role identity), largely reflects the significance of these properties for the mother herself and allows one to judge the values of education she shares.
Assessment of the child in the essay can be present in both direct and indirect form. Evaluation can be positive, negative, ambivalent, with a greater or lesser degree of differentiation. The balance of positive and negative assessments makes it possible to judge the integral assessment of the child. “Labeling”, an unambiguously negative, derogatory assessment indicates the disrespect for the personality of the child by the mother, his rejection by her.
Description of the features of the type of maternal education may include an open declaration of values and the priority of the goals of education. You should pay attention to the methods of encouraging and punishing the child. You should also pay attention to the statement of the mother about the similarities or differences in the system of education implemented in relation to her child, and those methods that were used in relation to the mother when she was a child, in her grandparental family.
2.3. Sample Description
The study was conducted on two experimental groups.
The first group consisted of forty women aged 16 to 26 years without children, who were divided into four age groups (16-18 years old, 19-20 years old, 21-23 years old, 24-26 years old).
40% of the subjects are in an official or unofficial marriage. 60% of women in this group live in the districts of the Kirov region, 40% - in the city of Kirov.
37% of the subjects work, 30% study at a technical school, 25% at a university, 8% at school.
The women of this group answered the questions of the questionnaire and took part in the drawing test "My baby".
The second group consisted of 20 women aged 16 to 26 years old with children, who were also divided into four groups (16-18 years old, 19-20 years old, 21-23 years old, 24-26 years old).
90% of the subjects of this group are in an official or unofficial marriage. All women have one child. The age of the children ranges from one month to three years.
75% of women are on parental leave, 15% work, 10% study (full-time at a university).
The subjects of this group took part in the projective method "Parental essay".
2.4. Results and their analysis
The study was carried out in four stages. At the first stage, we conducted an analysis and calculated the percentage data of the survey. At the second stage, the results of the drawing test "My baby" were analyzed, which were then compared with the data obtained during the survey. At the third stage, we conducted a comparative analysis of the psychological readiness of women in four age groups. At the fourth stage, we analyzed the results of the Parent Essay methodology.
At the first stage of the study, the following results were obtained for each age group.
1 group. Subjects - respondents aged 16 to 18 years.
All respondents in this age group want to have children. But at the same time, 90% of respondents noted that the birth of a child is not included in their plans for the next five years. Respondents point out getting an education and a profession among the primary tasks. As for the expected number of children, 60% of the respondents want to have two children, 40% - one child. At the same time, 80% of respondents consider it possible for themselves to give birth to three children only under favorable material and living conditions. At the same time, 40% of respondents who are potentially ready for the birth of a third child indicate that others are indifferent to women who have three children. 20% of them believe that such women cause surprise and bewilderment among others. These data allow us to conclude that the material and living conditions and the attitude of society towards mothers of large families are significant factors that determine the psychological readiness for motherhood.
90% of respondents answered that the birth of a baby is a happy event for them. At the same time, in the task where it was required to continue the phrase “A child is ...”, only for 40% of respondents a child is joy and happiness. Basically, the answers of the respondents in this group are of a formal nature, such as “children are the future”, “a child is a person who has not reached the age of majority”. Particularly noteworthy are the answers of 10% of respondents who define children as: “super”, “a child is cool”. These answers may indicate the low value of children for these subjects, the attitude towards the child as a thing or phenomenon. This is confirmed by the fact that only 20% of respondents put the child in second place in terms of value and significance. For the rest of the respondents (80%), the birth of a baby is not so significant. On average, in women from 16 to 18 years old, the child occupies 6-7 positions. The obtained data convinces that the respondents of this age group do not realize the high degree of value of children.
Although, on the other hand, all respondents answered that they sympathize with women who cannot have children. 80% of respondents indicated that it is difficult for them to understand women who leave their children. In addition, the same number of subjects claim that they cannot imagine their life without children. Based on the results obtained, it can be concluded that women of this age group are generally aware of the importance of a child in a woman's life, but at present, a child is not of high value to them. To date, for respondents aged 16-18, studies, self-realization in professional and labor activities, and the presence of true friends are of the greatest importance.
What do women see as the value of a child? 30% is that the child strengthens the family, 30% is support in old age, 20% of respondents need a child only to give him what the woman herself could not get. For 10% of the respondents, the child is the successor of the family. And 20% of respondents believe that a woman is simply supposed to have children. Thus, a child is not considered by women as an independent value, is not identified with joy and happiness.
A similar trend can be traced in the respondents' ideas about the meaning of motherhood. For 30% of respondents, being a mother means taking responsibility. At the same time, they do not indicate what they are ready to take responsibility for and to whom. For another 30% of respondents, motherhood is a manifestation of love for a child. The rest (70%) could not explain what it means to them to be a mother.
Thus, the analysis of the data obtained shows that the level of value-semantic readiness for motherhood is very low in women of this age group. The results for this block are shown in Table 1.
Table 1
Indicators of value-semantic readiness for motherhood of women aged 16-18
A similar level can be traced in relation to the need-emotional readiness of respondents for motherhood.
Analyzing their attitude to pregnancy and childbirth, it was found that 60% of respondents do not have any emotions when they see pregnant women. 10% do not want to give birth to children, looking at a pregnant woman. And only 30% of the respondents themselves rather want to have a child. These answers show that the majority of respondents do not have an emotionally positive attitude towards pregnancy as the beginning of motherhood.
30% of respondents indicate that they are afraid of childbirth. Only 10% of the respondents are not afraid of them. The rest (60%) could not answer this question, which indicates their lack of knowledge about the birth process.
To what extent was the positive image of the child formed? 80% of respondents noted that children make them tender and joyful. However, this was not detected when completing the task, where it was required to continue the phrase "the child is ...". The words "joy", "happiness" were found only in 10% of the answers. That is, the image of a child is blurred, formal on the one hand, and euphoric on the other.
In addition, the respondents do not show a joyful and happy attitude towards the role of a mother, as well as a desire to take care of a child. So 40% of respondents believe that with the birth of a child they will not be able to achieve what they dreamed of. Another 40% indicated that the birth of a child will limit their desires, many worries and difficulties will appear. 20% are sure that the birth of a baby will not change anything in their lives. Only 20% of respondents believe that the birth of a child will bring them happiness. The rest (40%) could not answer these questions. This once again convinces that the birth of a child for women 16-18 years old is not associated with sustainable joy, there is no positive attitude towards the role of the mother.
In addition, the respondents did not reveal a “great desire” to take care of the child. For example, 70% of respondents believe that a woman should allocate 1-2 hours every day for classes and games with children. At the same time, half of the respondents spend 2-3 hours watching TV and chatting with friends. 30% of the respondents were unable to indicate how much time a woman should devote to children every day, completing a task in which it was required to draw up her daily routine.
It was interesting to find out how long a woman intends to be constantly with the baby, to take care of him. Half of the respondents are sure that the child should be sent to kindergarten at 1.5 years, 40% - at 2 years, 10% - at 3 years. That is, the majority (90%) of respondents expressed a desire to take care of the baby for no more than 1.5-2 years.
table 2
women 16-18 years old
The results obtained (Table 2) indicate a low level of need-motivational readiness for motherhood, including need-emotional and value-semantic components.
Let us analyze the answers to the questions that make it possible to characterize the cognitive-operational block of readiness for motherhood, the content of which is knowledge about the psychophysiological characteristics during pregnancy, knowledge about the characteristics of the upbringing and development of children, ideas about interaction with the child and caring for him.
40% of respondents could not name the functions of the mother. 20% of the respondents among the functions of the mother singled out the upbringing of the child, caring for him, "providing everything necessary." 10% indicated that "the main thing is to give the child your affection, warmth, love". Only 20% of respondents are aware that the functions of a mother include raising, caring for a child, and loving him. Thus, the results demonstrate the low level of knowledge of the respondents about the functions of the mother. They do not fully understand the role of the mother.
Analyzing the answers of respondents to questions about the upbringing of the child and caring for him, we note the following. Only 40% of respondents know that during the first year of the child it is necessary to breastfeed. Only 30% of respondents believe that if a child is picked up more often in the first year of life, this will contribute to his better development. 40% of respondents could not answer these questions. The obtained results testify to the ignorance of women of this age group about the peculiarities of the development of children.
What is the level of knowledge of respondents about raising children? Only 40% of respondents consider it necessary to start raising a child from the moment of conception. 50% answered that education should begin from the moment the baby is born. At the same time, 40% of respondents indicated that when educating Maybe the use of physical punishment. 10% believe that such a measure admissible And necessary.
The low level of knowledge about upbringing is also confirmed by the fact that 70% of respondents assign a small role to the game and believe that it is necessary to play with a child only occasionally. At the same time, the majority (80%) of respondents do not know what toys to buy for children.
Very little knowledge of the respondents about the factors that negatively affect the child during fetal development. 60% of respondents have practically no knowledge about this. One of the reasons for the low level of knowledge of the respondents is that 90% of them do not read the relevant literature and do not yet see the need for it. But at the same time, 60% of respondents believe that a woman should begin to get acquainted with information about the development and upbringing of a child even before pregnancy. The remaining 40% believe that it is necessary to start reading literature on this topic during pregnancy.
Table 3
Indicators of cognitive and operational readiness for motherhood in women aged 16-18
| Knowledge by women | |||
| mother's functions | |||
| 20% | 30% | 20% | 20% |
Thus, based on the data obtained (Table 3), we can conclude that the level of cognitive-operational readiness for motherhood of respondents in this age group is low. Perhaps the reason for the lack of knowledge is that women aged 16-18 do not plan to have a child in the next 5 years, and, therefore, do not seek to gain knowledge about its development and upbringing.
It includes the development of a woman's gender identity, attitudes towards a strategy for raising a child, a woman's awareness of responsibility for its development, readiness to overcome the difficulties associated with the birth and upbringing of children.
Only 30% of respondents believe that it is better to be a woman than a man. At the same time, only 40% of respondents chose the female gender. The rest (60%) did not answer these questions. That is, the respondents of this group are characterized by a low level of development of gender identity. In particular, they do not realize that women, unlike men, can realize the happiness of being a mother.
Particular attention should be paid to the fact that respondents do not see responsibility for the development and upbringing of the baby. Only 30% of the respondents answered that the birth of a child is a responsible step. At the same time, 90% of respondents cannot fully take this responsibility on themselves and rely on their relatives and friends. The rest (10%) believe that they will be able to raise a child on their own, although their birth is not considered a responsible step. In addition, they indicated that the help of grandparents is a necessity. Thus, the results obtained indicate that the subjects of this age group are not aware of the responsibility that appears in a woman who decides to give birth to a baby.
Note that 30% of respondents do not know what difficulties arise with the birth of a child. For 20% of the subjects, the main problem is that the child will take all their time. 30% of respondents point to the occurrence of only financial difficulties. Only 20% of respondents are aware that there will definitely be difficulties associated with caring for a child, his upbringing and development. At the same time, only 20% of respondents are positively disposed to overcome them.
Analyzing the respondents' attitudes towards the upbringing strategy, we note the following. 50% of respondents are not satisfied with the methods of raising their parents. But at the same time, 80% of them answered that they would raise their future children in the same way. Such results indicate the inadequacy of the respondents' attitudes regarding the upbringing of the child. It is also confirmed by the fact that only 10% of respondents believe that parents play a decisive role in raising a child. Although, on the other hand, 90% of the respondents are aware that the parents are to blame for the fact that the child does not obey. Such conflicting data indicate that women in this age group have insufficient ideas about how to raise a child and what to bring up in it. The corresponding data are given in Table 4.
Table 4
Indicators of social and personal readiness for motherhood of women aged 16-18
In general, the respondents of this group showed a low level of psychological readiness for motherhood. This allows us to conclude that women aged 16-18 cannot be good mothers.
2 group. Subjects-respondents aged 19 to 20 years.
90% of respondents in this group want to have children. 10% did not think about this issue. 30% of respondents plan to have a child in the next 5 years. In parallel, they intend to finish their studies, find a job and arrange a personal life. For the remaining 70% of respondents, getting a profession and a job is paramount, and not having a child.
60% of women in this group want to have two children, 20% - one child, 10% - three children. At the same time, 60% of respondents do not exclude the possibility of having a third child. At the same time, they name the presence of good health and good material and living conditions as the main condition. At the same time, 50% of the respondents who are potentially ready for the birth of a child believe that others are indifferent to women who have three children. 20% are sure that such women are considered irresponsible. The results obtained allow us to conclude that for the majority of respondents, material and living conditions, health and society's attitude towards mothers of many children are significant factors that determine the psychological readiness for motherhood.
Only for 60% of the respondents, the birth of a child is a happy event, but not as an independent value, but as a necessary part of life, as a successor to the family, as a “part of the family”. We received answers in which women of this age group indicated that "children are the joy of grandmothers." It can be assumed that these respondents do not need a child, they give birth to him for someone, but not for themselves. 20% of respondents could not finish the phrase "a child is ...". The obtained results testify to the low value of children for women of this age group. The child takes only the fifth or sixth place. Although 70% of respondents indicate that it is difficult for them to understand women who leave their children, only 60% of respondents cannot imagine their life without a child. Our data allow us to conclude that the respondents of this group do not realize the high value of the child.
30% of respondents need it to strengthen the family. 30% - for procreation. 20% answered that it is more fun to live with a child, and 10% believe that a woman is supposed to have children. 20% of respondents do not see the tragedy if they do not have children. The same number of respondents (20%) answered that they would be happier without children. Thus, we can conclude that the respondents do not realize the meaning and value of children.
What is the meaning of motherhood for women of this group? Only 20% of motherhood respondents see happiness. The same number of respondents believe that “being a mother is very responsible”, while not specifying what kind of responsibility it is. 50% of respondents could not answer what it means to be a mother for them. That is, it can be argued that women at the age of 19-20 do not yet realize the meaning of motherhood; they do not yet realize the meaning of motherhood.
Table 5
Indicators of value-semantic readiness for motherhood of women aged 19-20
Thus, the analysis of the data obtained by us (Table 5) shows that the level of value-semantic readiness for motherhood of a woman of this age group is low. The results for this block are presented in Table 5.
Let us analyze the degree of need-emotional readiness of the respondents.
Regarding their mood for pregnancy and childbirth, we note the following. Only 40% of respondents have a positive attitude towards pregnancy. In 30% of the subjects, pregnant women do not cause any feelings, in 20% of the respondents there are negative feelings.
60% of respondents are afraid of childbirth. Only 10% relate to them without fear. The rest (30%) could not answer this question.
Analyzing the answers that allow us to determine the level of formation of a positive image of a child, we note that despite the fact that 80% of the respondents indicated that small children cause tenderness and joy in them, in the task where it was required to continue the phrases “when I see small children ...”, “A child is…” Only 20% of respondents associate children with joy and happiness. That is, for the majority (80%) of respondents, small children do not cause positive emotions.
At the same time, the subjects do not have a joyfully happy attitude towards the role of the mother. Thus, 30% of respondents are sure that with the birth of a child, many difficulties will only appear and "personal life will end." 20% of respondents believe that with a child it will not be possible to achieve their plans. And 10% of respondents are sure that the birth of a child will not change anything. That is, women of this age group are not positively disposed to fulfill the role of mother. Their future motherhood is identified only with difficulties and limitations.
In addition, respondents do not show a desire to take care of children. 60% of respondents believe that it is necessary to deal with a child for one to two hours daily. At the same time, half of them spend more time (2-3 hours) watching TV and talking with friends. 40% of respondents could not make a daily routine.
It should be noted that 90% of respondents want to be constantly with the baby for no more than one and a half to two years. Perhaps this is due to the fear of women that they themselves will not be able to fully develop the child.
Table 6
Indicators of need-motivational readiness for motherhood
women 19-20 years old
The results obtained (Table 5) indicate a low level of need-emotional readiness for motherhood.
Let us analyze the level of knowledge of the respondents about the peculiarities of the pregnancy process, about the upbringing and development of the child, about the functions of the mother.
40% of respondents have no idea about the features of intrauterine development of the child. Only 20% of respondents answered these questions correctly.
Regarding women's knowledge about the upbringing and development of a child, we note that only 40% of respondents consider it mandatory to breastfeed a child during the year. The same number of respondents know that in the first year of life, the baby should contact the mother more often. 30% of the subjects answered that education should begin from the moment of conception. At the same time, 30% of women believe necessary physical punishment, 40% indicated that such measures should be resorted to only in extreme cases. This indicates the lack of awareness of the respondents about the development and upbringing of the child. This is also evidenced by the fact that women in this age group do not attach importance to the game. Half of them believe that the child should be played only occasionally. The same number of respondents know what toys to buy for children.
Thus, women of this age group do not know how to take care of a child, contribute to its development and upbringing, although 80% of the respondents are aware that this is the mother's duty in relation to the child. Note that only 20% of the subjects among the functions of the mother indicate love for the child.
Table 7
Indicators of cognitive and operational readiness for motherhood in women aged 19-20
| Knowledge by women | |||
| mother's functions | features of intrauterine development | Features of the development of the child | features of the upbringing process |
| 70% | 30% | 40% | 30% |
Let's analyze the respondents' answers to the questions that make up the block of social and personal readiness for motherhood.
Regarding gender identification, we note that 80% of the respondents preferred the female gender for themselves, although only 30% of them are sure that it is better to be a woman than a man.
Only 30% of respondents consider the birth of a child a responsible act. They are sure that the mother is responsible for the development and upbringing of the child, has a decisive influence on him. The rest (70%) do not realize the responsibility that a woman has with the birth of a baby.
In addition, women in this group are not ready to overcome the difficulties associated with children. 30% of respondents are not aware of them at all. The same number of respondents regret that they will not have free time. That is, these women first of all think about themselves, and not about the baby. In addition, the respondents intend to constantly be with the child only up to 1.8 years, devoting no more than two hours a day to the baby every day.
Analyzing the respondents' attitudes towards the upbringing strategy, we note that 70% of the respondents intend to raise their children in the same way as their parents raised them, since they believe that they have found the best option. 70% of the subjects correctly noted the qualities that need to be nurtured in children. But at the same time, 60% of respondents assign a decisive role in raising children to grandparents. That is, the attitudes regarding the upbringing of women of this age are not fully formed. The results obtained are shown in table 8.
Table 8
Indicators of social and personal readiness for motherhood of women aged 19-20
In general, a low level of psychological readiness of women aged 19-20 was found. They will not be able to fully cope with the role of the mother.
3rd group. Subjects-respondents aged 21 to 23 years.
All respondents in this group want to have children. But in the next five years, only 30% of respondents plan to give birth to a child. The rest (70%) primarily intend to finish their studies, find a job and arrange a personal life.
70% of respondents want to have two children, 10% - one child, the same number of respondents - three children, the rest (10%) - more than three children. At the same time, all women do not exclude the possibility of giving birth to a third child. But 60% of them decide to take this step only under favorable material and living conditions, 70% - if health permits. At the same time, 40% of respondents are sure that mothers of large families cause surprise and bewilderment in others, 10% believe that others do not care. The results obtained make it possible to judge the great importance for the respondents of material well-being, the presence of good health and the attitude of others towards mothers of large families when making a decision on the birth of a child.
What is the attitude of respondents to the birth of a child? 60% of the subjects answered that the birth of a baby is a happy event. At the same time, in fact, only half of the respondents believe that "a child is happiness for every woman." The answers of the rest of the respondents are purely formal, such as "a child is the future", "...these are the flowers of life", "...this is the future adult". In general, for women of this age group, the value of a child is not high. He is in fifth place. Although, on the other hand, 90% of respondents cannot imagine their life without children. Thus, the low value of a child may be due to the fact that his birth is not yet included in the respondents' plans. Today, for women of this age group, self-realization in professional and labor activity, material security and a happy marriage are of the greatest importance. It should be noted that, unlike women aged 16-20, half of the respondents in this group put the existence of a free life in last place.
Subjects of this age group are more fully aware of the meaning of children. 60% of them believe that the child, being the object of care and love, will bring them happiness, strengthen the family, "make life more complete ...". The rest (40%) respondents do not fully understand the meaning of children.
What do the respondents see the meaning of motherhood? 50% of the respondents answered that being a mother “means to be the happiest, most beloved and necessary person on earth”, “to be with your child in your heart and thoughts 24 hours a day”, “to feel and understand the baby, to love him endlessly”. 40% of the answers were purely formal. The rest (10%) of the respondents could not answer these questions.
The data obtained (Table 9) indicate that the meaning of children and motherhood in general is fully understood by approximately 50% of the respondents in this age group.
Table 9
Indicators of value-semantic readiness for motherhood in women aged 21-23
What is the level of need-emotional readiness of the subjects?
Analyzing their attitude to pregnancy and childbirth, it turned out that pregnant women evoke positive emotions in 80% of the respondents. At the same time, only 30% of respondents relate to childbirth without fear.
Studying the level of an emotionally positive image of a child, we note that only 40% of respondents are characterized by a positive attitude towards children, since they see happiness and joy in the birth of a child. The same number of respondents believe that the birth of a child will only bring difficulties and worries, will force them to abandon their plans.
In addition, only 40% of respondents are ready to give their baby at least three hours a day. 60% failed to make their daily routine.
60% of respondents believe that it is necessary to be with the baby constantly for at least two years. That is, the desire to take care of a child is not high enough for the respondents in this group.
Table 10
Indicators of need-motivational readiness for motherhood women 21-23 years
Our data (Table 10) indicate that not half of the respondents in this group are characterized by a low level of need-motivational readiness for motherhood.
Let us analyze the content of the cognitive-operational block.
60% of respondents know what is the responsibility of the mother in relation to the child. In their answers, they indicated that “the mother must take care of the child”, “promote its development, educate”, “provide everything necessary”, “give education”. At the same time, 20% of respondents do not believe that a mother must necessarily love her child.
What is the level of knowledge of the subjects about the upbringing and development of the child? 60% know that in the first year of a baby's life it is necessary to breastfeed. At the same time, 20% of the subjects are sure that the solution to this issue depends on the desire of the mother. That is, for these respondents, their desires are paramount, and not the needs of the child. 60% of respondents are sure that in the first year of life, the baby should be picked up more often. Half of the women indicated that education should begin from the moment of conception. At the same time, only 40% of respondents consider physical punishment unacceptable. The rest (60%) are sure that in extreme cases you can use this measure. As for the knowledge of the respondents about the importance of play for the baby, we note that 40% of the respondents believe that parents should play with children and be the initiators of games. The rest (60%) are sure that the child should be played only occasionally.
Table 11
Indicators of cognitive and operational readiness for motherhood in women aged 21-23
| Knowledge by women | |||
| mother's functions | features of intrauterine development | features of the development of the child | features of the upbringing process |
| 60% | 60% | 50% | 40% |
Our data (Table 11) indicate that women of this age group are characterized by an average level of cognitive-operational readiness.
Let's analyze the respondents' answers to the questions that make up the block of social and personal readiness for motherhood.
Regarding the level of formation of gender identity, it should be noted that only 70% of respondents chose the female gender for themselves. At the same time, only the same number of them believe that it is better to be a woman. The rest (60%) of the respondents could not answer these questions.
Analyzing the level of responsibility as a component of this block, the following results were obtained. 60% of respondents indicated that the birth of a child is a responsible step, pointing out that parents play a decisive role in the upbringing and development of children. In addition, 40% of respondents, who do not exclude the help of grandmothers, believe that, after all, parents play the main role in upbringing. That is, at least half of the respondents are aware of the responsibility that arises when a child is born.
It should be noted that 60% of respondents are also aware of the difficulties associated with children. At the same time, 90% are positively disposed to overcome them. 30% of the difficulties indicate only "sleepless nights", "lack of personal life", "material problems". That is, all the attention of these respondents is directed to themselves, and not to the child. 20% of respondents do not realize what difficulties arise with the birth of a child, and, therefore, are not ready to overcome them. Thus, we can say that no more than half of the respondents are positively inclined to overcome difficulties.
In 60% of the subjects, attitudes towards the upbringing strategy have not been formed, since, despite the fact that they do not like the methods of raising their parents, they plan to educate their future children in the same way. Such contradictory results indicate the unformed views regarding the upbringing of children.
Table 12
Indicators of social and personal readiness for motherhood of women aged 21-23
The data obtained (Table 12) testify to the average level of social and personal readiness.
In general, it was found that the respondents of this group are characterized by a higher level of psychological readiness for motherhood than women aged 16-20. But this level is not enough for women to fully cope with the role of mother.
4 group. Subjects-respondents aged 24 to 26 years.
All respondents in this age group want to have children. Moreover, 90% of respondents plan to give birth to a child in the next 5 years.
60% of respondents want to have two children, 30% - three or more children, 10% - one child. At the same time, 90% of respondents do not exclude the possibility of having three children. As the main conditions for this, the respondents indicated the presence of good health and favorable material conditions. At the same time, 70% of respondents who are potentially ready for the birth of a third child believe that others are more warm and respectful to mothers with many children.
In addition, in the task where it was required to continue the phrase “children are ...”, 70% of the answers contained the words “joy”, “meaning”, “love” (“a child is joy, the meaning of the whole life of any woman”, “children are this is the wealth of a woman). It should be noted that 40% of respondents believe that with a child they will experience all the joys of motherhood. That is, for the majority of respondents (70%) of this age group, the child is of great importance. On average, for women aged 24-26 years, the child is in third place.
What is the attitude of the respondents towards motherhood? 80% of them believe that motherhood is both responsibility and joy (“being a mother means being aware of all the responsibility for the child and at the same time feeling like a happy woman”, “motherhood is a sea of duties and an ocean of happiness”, “... this is happiness that a woman would not exchange for anything”). The rest of the respondents (20%) in motherhood are more
degrees see responsibility, although they understand that this is also happiness.
Table 13
Indicators of value-emotional readiness for motherhood in women aged 24-26
Thus, the analysis of the obtained results (Table 13) indicates a rather high level of value-semantic readiness for motherhood.
Let's analyze the level of need-emotional readiness.
Studying the attitude of the subjects to pregnancy and childbirth, we note the following. At the sight of pregnant women, 90% of respondents have positive emotions, and they themselves want to give birth to a child as soon as possible. At the same time, only half of the respondents relate to childbirth without fear. The same number of respondents (50%) did not answer this question.
To what extent did the respondents form a positive image of the child? An emotionally positive attitude towards children is typical for at least 80% of the respondents, since in their answers they noted that a child would bring them happiness, would allow them to feel the joy of motherhood. In the task where it was required to continue the phrase “When I see a small child…”, 50% of respondents answered that they have a desire to give birth to a child themselves, 40% indicated that a smile appears on their face, 20% want to make contact with the baby ( “I want to take the baby in my arms”, “I would tinker with him”). That is, we can say that a positive image of the child is formed by at least 80% of the respondents of this age group.
In addition, women aged 24-26 are characterized by a joyfully happy attitude towards the role of mother. Respondents are aware that with the advent of the baby worries and difficulties will certainly arise, but at the same time, the respondents are sure that “being a mother means being happy.” The subjects understand that children will limit their desires, but at the same time, the respondents note that without children they will not be truly happy.
It should be noted that, on average, women in this age group are ready to constantly be with the baby until he is 2.5 years old, daily devoting at least 4-5 hours to classes with the child. The latest data was obtained during the analysis of the task, in which it was required to draw up your daily routine. The majority of respondents (80%) coped with this task, 20% could not meet the deadline of 24 hours. It should be noted that women of this age group devote more time to the child and family.
Table 14
Indicators of need-motivational readiness for motherhood in women aged 24-26
In general, the results obtained allow us to determine that the level of need-emotional readiness in women of this age group is higher than in respondents aged 16-18.
Let's analyze the respondents' answers to the questions of the cognitive-operational block. 70% of respondents know quite well the features of intrauterine development. The level of knowledge of 20% of the subjects can be defined as average. The remaining women (10%) do not know the specifics of pregnancy well.
Regarding the respondents' ideas about the process of upbringing, we note that 70% know that upbringing must begin from the moment of conception. The rest (30%) are sure that it is necessary to start raising a baby from the moment of his birth. Only 70% of the subjects consider physical punishment unacceptable, the rest (30%) answered that in extreme cases such “education methods” can be used. The insufficient level of knowledge of respondents about the process of education is also confirmed by the fact that only half of the respondents understand the importance of play for the baby. The other half of the respondents are sure that one should play with a child only occasionally, sometimes be the initiator of the games.
Our results (Table 15) allow us to conclude that, despite the rather high level of knowledge of respondents about the features of intrauterine development, in general, for this age group, the level of cognitive and operational readiness for motherhood is not high, since the subjects do not have enough knowledge about the process of raising a child. Although 80% of respondents consider education one of the main functions of the mother. That is, women in this group understand the need for education, but do not know the specifics of this process.
It should be noted that 80% of respondents are fully aware of the duties of a mother in relation to children, indicating that “the mother must ensure the development of the child, including moral and spiritual”, “... must love the baby and properly educate”, “... take care of him and show kindness.
Table 15
Indicators of cognitive and operational readiness for motherhood in women aged 24-26
| Knowledge by women | |||
| mother's functions | features of intrauterine development | features of the development of the child | features of the upbringing process |
| 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% |
What is the level of social and personal readiness for motherhood of women of this age group?
We note the degree of development of gender identification as a component of this block. 80% of respondents preferred the female gender, although only 60% of them indicated that it would be better to be a woman. Such a low level can be explained by the fact that women are aware that most of the responsibility for the development and upbringing of the child lies with her.
Note that 90% of respondents understand that the birth of a child is a very responsible step. The subjects assign the decisive role for the development and upbringing of children to parents, believing that they have a greater influence on the child. Our data indicate a high degree of awareness by the respondents of the responsibility that arises when a child is born.
A characteristic feature for the respondents of this age group is the formation of attitudes towards the strategy of raising a child. But at the same time, as noted above, the subjects do not have enough knowledge to achieve their goals. It should be noted that 40% of respondents intend to change the style of parenting when raising their children. The rest (60%) consider their parents' upbringing methods to be optimal.
Table 16
Indicators of social and personal readiness for motherhood of women 24-26 years old
The results obtained (Table 16) indicate a fairly high level of social and personal readiness for motherhood of the respondents of this age group.
In general, it was found that women aged 24-26 years are the most ready for motherhood in all respects. It can be concluded that they can be good mothers.
At the second stage, we analyzed the results of the drawing test "My baby", which were then compared with the data obtained during the survey.
The drawing test made it possible to determine the degree of experience and perception by women of the child and their attitude towards him, as components of readiness for motherhood.
According to the methodology, it was required to draw a child as the subjects imagine him. The test involved 40 women aged 16 to 26 years old, who do not have children.
The analysis of drawings, as well as questionnaires, was carried out in four age groups (16-18 years old, 19-20 years old, 21-23 years old, 24-26 years old). The following results were obtained.
1 group. Subjects aged 16 to 18 years.
10% of respondents in this group refused to complete the task, indicating that they did not represent the future baby.
20% of the subjects portrayed not a small child, but girls aged 14-16 (see Appendix 2,). That is, these respondents currently need a girlfriend, not a child. The same number of subjects (20%) portrayed children 4-5 years old. They omit the neonatal period, or rather, all the difficulties associated with this age. That is, the respondents are not ready to overcome them. The data obtained are also confirmed by the results of the survey, during which it was revealed that no more than 20% of respondents aged 16-18 are ready to overcome difficulties.
In addition, the subjects of this age group are characterized by a low level of emotionally positive attitude towards the child, since only 30% of the drawings depict the baby smiling. All drawings are in black and white. Similar data were obtained as a result of the analysis of the questionnaires, which showed that a positive image of the child was formed by no more than 10% of the respondents.
The drawings also confirm that the child for women of this age group is not of great importance. 40% of the drawings are small, the same number of drawings are shown on the side, and not in the center of the sheet (see Appendix 3). In 20% of the works, the images are purely schematic.
It should also be noted that the majority (70%) of the works indicate the reluctance of women to interact with the baby, since the hands of children are not drawn in the figure.
Of interest is the drawing, which depicts an envelope for a baby, in which supposedly the child is invisibly (see Appendix 3). This work shows that the respondent does not represent the future child and does not want to contact him.
Thus, the work of the subjects confirms the conclusions made during the analysis of the questionnaires. A woman aged 16 to 18 is characterized by a low level of emotionally positive and valuable attitude towards a child.
2 group. Subjects aged 19 to 20 .
10% of respondents did not cope with the task.
In infancy, children are depicted only in half of the drawings. In other studies, the age of the child could not be determined. That is, in at least half of the subjects, the image of a small child is not formed.
In addition, 40% of respondents have a negative attitude towards small children, since half of these works depict only the head of a baby (see Appendix 4), in the rest of the drawings the child’s body is not proportional (arms of different lengths, cheeks protruding beyond the contour of the face, asymmetric body) (see Appendix 5). These data correspond to the fact that half of the subjects of this age group, answering the questions of the questionnaire, focused on the fact that the birth of a child will limit their personal freedom and will not give them the opportunity to realize their dreams, that is, the baby causes negative emotions in these subjects.
A positive attitude towards the child is typical for no more than 30% of the respondents. In their works, the baby is depicted smiling, the details of the body and clothes are drawn, in general, the drawing creates a pleasant impression. At the same time, the results of the questionnaire show that a positive attitude towards children is typical for no more than 20% of the subjects in this age group.
As for the significance of the baby for women 19-20 years old, we can say that the drawings indicate the low importance of the child for them. Since only 30% of the drawings are large enough and located in the center of the sheet. At the same time, the survey data showed That a child for women aged 19 to 20 years is in 5-6 place among life values.
The absence of a smile on the baby’s face, a small number of details, black and white colors, and small image sizes, characteristic for most (70%) of the drawings, confirm the data obtained during the survey about the low value of children for respondents in this age group and the absence of a positive attitude towards the baby.
All respondents completed the task. Although at the right age the child is in 70% of the drawings. 30% of the subjects portrayed children 4-5 years old, in 10% of the works the age of the child could not be determined.
What do the pictures show about the attitude of respondents towards small children? In 30% of the subjects, the emotionally positive attitude towards children was not fully formed, since 60% of them depicted only the head of the child. In the rest of the drawings (10%), the baby is depicted as sad, the details are not drawn (see Appendix 6).
70% of the works cause a pleasant overall impression, the baby has a friendly facial expression. 10% of the drawings are in color (see Appendix 7). At the same time, the survey data indicate that a warm, joyful attitude towards children is characteristic of at least half of the respondents in this age group.
The figures also confirm that the child for the subjects in terms of significance is only in fifth place. Despite the fact that in half of the works the drawings are large in size and located in the center, only 40% of the respondents depicted the full figure of the baby, drawing all parts of the body and details of clothing.
Thus, the results of the drawing test correspond to the data obtained during the survey. For women aged 21-23 years, a higher level of emotionally positive attitude towards the child is characteristic than for the subjects aged 16-20, although in terms of significance, children do not represent a high value for them.
4 group. Subjects aged 24 to 26 years.
All respondents of this age group coped with the task. At the same time, in 90% of the works, the baby is depicted at the correct age.
The analysis carried out allows us to say that at least 70% of the respondents are characterized by a high level of emotionally positive attitude towards the child. These subjects portrayed the baby with a friendly expression. Details of the body are drawn (folds on the arms and legs and legs characteristic of babies, dimples on the fingers) (see the illustration in the appendix) and clothes (bonnet, booties, apron). In addition, 20% of the drawings were made with colored pencils (see Annex 8). An analysis of the questionnaires showed that 80% of the respondents in this age group have a joyful attitude towards small children.
Regarding the value of the child for the subjects, we note the following. 70% of the drawings are located in the center of the sheet, 90% of them are large. That is, the child is important for the respondents. At the same time, the analysis of the questionnaires showed that children for women aged 24-26 are in third place in importance.
A feature of the drawings of this age group is that 40% of the works depict not only the baby, but also the corresponding environment (crib, stroller, toys) (see illustration). This indicates the involvement of women of this age group in the process of raising, developing and caring for a child.
Thus, the results of the drawing test confirm the high level of emotionally positive attitude towards children of women aged 24-26, as well as the importance of the child in their lives.
In general, we can say that the results of the drawing test correspond to the data obtained during the survey.
At the third stage, we conducted a comparative analysis of the psychological readiness of women in four age groups, which allowed us to draw the following conclusions.
All respondents want to have children. At the same time, in the next five years, mainly (90%) women aged 24-26 plan to give birth to a child. For subjects aged 16-20, education is paramount, and in the future, work. For respondents aged 21-23, the main thing is also work and personal life. These data indicate that the age of 24 to 26 years is optimal for the birth of a child in the sense that a woman is defined in a professional field. Also, personal life is mostly arranged. It is necessary to “move” to setting and achieving the following goals, namely, to the birth of a child.
As a consequence of this, it is for women aged 24-26 that a child is the most significant, and takes third place among life values. For respondents aged 16 to 23, children are only in 5th-7th place. The corresponding data are shown in Diagram 1.
Diagram 1
Indicators of the degree of value of children for respondents of various age groups
It should be noted that the analysis revealed that the older the woman, the greater the possible number of children she can give birth to. The results obtained are shown in Diagram 2.
Diagram 2
Indicators of the number of children that respondents can give birth to
Such results can be explained by the fact that the older a woman is, the more she realizes the meaning of children and the joy of motherhood, she feels confident that she can raise a child, take responsibility for its upbringing and development. This is also confirmed by the fact that among respondents aged 16-20, the birth of a child is primarily associated with restriction of freedom, lack of personal life, and the emergence of insurmountable difficulties. These respondents do not see joy in motherhood. Motherhood is regarded as happiness by 90% of women aged 24-26 and 60% - aged 21-23. Thus, the highest level of need-motivational and emotional-positive readiness for motherhood is characteristic of women aged 24 to 26 years.
Comparing the level of knowledge of the respondents about the features of intrauterine development of the child, his upbringing, the functions of the mother, it was revealed that the lowest level of knowledge is typical for the subjects aged 16-18. Respondents aged 24 to 26 have a more complete idea (Diagram 3). Although they do not have enough knowledge about the process of raising a child. But at the same time, unlike other respondents, the majority (80%) of women in this age group noted that they read the relevant literature, watch their friends who have children.
Diagram 3
Indicators of the level of cognitive and operational readiness of respondents for motherhood
Despite the lack of knowledge about upbringing among women aged 24-26, the formed attitudes towards the upbringing strategy are inherent mainly in the respondents of this age group. When completing the task, which asked what hopes they associate with the birth of a child, the respondents indirectly indicated the goals of upbringing: "... I want to raise a real person ...", "... I will try to make my child grow up kind, sympathetic ...". In addition, when completing tasks that asked “Do you agree with the methods of raising your parents?”, “Will you treat your child in the same way as your mother treated you as a child?”, “In your opinion, who provides decisive influence on the development of the child? respondents aged 24-26 did not give an answer like “I don’t know”.
We also note that, unlike the subjects aged 16 to 20, the respondents of the fourth age group are fully aware of the difficulties associated with raising a child and its development. Half of the women in the third group are also quite clear about what worries come with the birth of children. The rest (50%) respondents aged 21-23, as well as the subjects of the second age group, mostly see only financial problems. Respondents aged 16-18 practically do not know what difficulties arise with the birth of a child, and, therefore, are not ready to overcome them. Most of all, women aged 24-26 are set on this, because, firstly, they see joy in caring for children, and secondly, these respondents intend to be with the baby for the longest time (up to 2.5 years).
Of particular note are the data obtained by comparing the degree of formation of the gender identity of the respondents.
The highest level is inherent in women aged 24-26, although in fact their degree of development of gender identity can be defined as average. Respondents of other groups are characterized by a low level of gender identification. The explanation may be that the subjects aged 16-23 do not fully realize that, unlike men, a woman has the opportunity to give birth to a child and experience the joy of motherhood. The low degree of development of gender identity of respondents aged 24 to 26 years old can be explained by the fact that, when they realize the value of motherhood, they also understand that, unlike men, a woman bears greater responsibility for a child.
Speaking about responsibility, we note that respondents of the fourth and third age groups are more ready to accept it, although they do not exclude the help of relatives in raising children. Subjects aged 16-20 shift most of the responsibility onto their parents. In addition, they do not realize what a woman takes responsibility for and to whom. It should also be noted that all women aged 24-26 indicated that the birth of a child must be planned.
Thus, the level of social and personal readiness for motherhood is higher among the respondents of the fourth age group.
In general, it was found that women aged 24 to 26 are the most ready for the birth of a baby, since they have the highest rates for all the basic components that make up the psychological readiness for motherhood: social-personal, cognitive-operational, motivational-need readiness. We can say that these respondents are better than others to cope with the role of mother.
Note that the subjects themselves (from 16 to 26 years old) consider the optimal period for the birth of a child to be between 23 and 25 years old.
At the fourth stage, we analyzed the results of the "Parent Essay" methodology, in which 20 women aged 16 to 26 years with children participated. The technique was carried out in order to reveal the real perception of the child by the mother.
Respondents were asked to write an essay on the topic "Me and my baby". It was proposed to write everything that they want, consider necessary and important.
The analysis of the works was carried out in four age groups (16-18 years old, 19-20 years old, 21-23 years old, 24-26 years old). The following results were obtained.
1 group. Subjects aged 16 to 18 years.
A total of five essays were analyzed. The average volume of essays was 22.5 lines, that is, the respondents reacted to the task formally, without showing high interest.
Analyzing the work, we found the following. 40% of respondents in this age group describe mainly the difficulties they had with the birth of a child. At the same time, the emphasis is on their insolubility (“... I won’t survive this ...”, “... I don’t know how much strength I have!...”) (see Appendix 9.10). It should be noted that the problems indicated in the essay are mainly related to the restriction of the freedom of the respondents (“… there is no time to watch TV…”), lack of knowledge about childcare, financial problems (“… and how much money do you spend on a child!…”). In 20% of the works, on the contrary, only the child is described. This indicates that women are not aware of their role in the development of the child, they strive to completely shift the blame and responsibility for it onto the baby himself.
Note that only in 60% of the essays the authors call the child pet names (Katenka, Pavlusha). At the same time, in half of these works, the name of the child is often replaced by pronouns (he, him, with her). In 40% of the essays, women call their children by full names (Semyon) or use a derogatory form (Vanka, Dimka), which indicates the insufficient closeness of the mother to the child. In half of these writings, the name of the child is mentioned no more than twice. This indicates insufficient acceptance of the intrinsic value of the child's personality by the mother. The data obtained indicate that no more than 40% of respondents in this age group have a positive attitude towards the child and motherhood in general. In their works, they lovingly describe children, without focusing on difficulties, but at the same time they do not deny their existence.
Regarding the value of children for the respondents, we note the following. Firstly, no work indicates that the birth of a child was a long-awaited event. In addition, in 40% of the works it was noted that the news about the pregnancy was unexpected (“…Vanka was a bolt from the blue!...”), that is, the birth of a child was unconscious. Secondly, the authors do not indicate what hopes they associate with their baby, why he is needed. 20% of the works indicate that “without them (children), it would probably be boring to live,” that is, the woman is not yet sure that children bring joy. In addition, the baby is regarded not as a joy, but as some kind of fun that dispels boredom. An analysis of the works shows that for women 16-18 years old, a child does not have a high value.
80% of the authors note the help of parents. Moreover, to the point that the grandmother practically replaces the mother (“... his grandmother has already taught him how to fold pyramids ...”). Firstly, this indicates that the respondents do not want to be constantly with the child and take responsibility for it. Secondly, we can judge the low level of knowledge of the subjects about the upbringing and development of the baby. The latter is confirmed by phrases like "... it will soon be necessary to start educating ...", "... I did not know what to feed him ...", "... we learn everything together (with my husband) ...".
In general, it was found that women aged 16-18 do not cope with their duties, do not experience the joy of motherhood.
2 group. Subjects aged 19-20 years.
Five essays were analyzed. The average length of essays was 28 lines. That is, the respondents of this group showed greater interest than the subjects of the first group.
In 80% of the essays, the respondents refer to the child in a diminutive form (Danechka, "... my sunshine ..."). At the same time, in half of them the child is described with love (“... lips with a bow, a nose with a button ...”, “... walks with legs ...”) (see Appendix 11). But at the same time, 40% of essays are descriptive (see Appendix 12). The appearance of the child is described, but nothing is said about the activities of the baby, about the relationship between the mother and the child. These respondents are not aware of their role in the development of the child.
In addition, the subjects do not fully realize the value of the child. Only from 20% of the works it can be understood that with the birth of a baby, women became happier ("... being a mother is very interesting and joyful ...", "... Polina is the meaning of our family ..."). In their essays, the respondents do not indicate what hopes they have for their children.
As for the difficulties, among them women indicate sleepless nights, washing, feeding the baby. In 60% of the works, problems related to upbringing can be traced (“... we try not to spoil, but how can you not love your child?!...”, “... so small, but sets conditions for us ...”).
One of the problems typical for women of this age group is the combination of study and child care. This is noted by 20% of respondents. At the same time, 40% of the subjects noted that after the birth of the child they had to quit their studies, which indicates the unplanned appearance of the baby.
Thus, women in this age group do not fully understand the meaning of children and motherhood in general. They do not fully cope with maternal functions.
3rd group. Subjects aged 21 to 23 years.
A total of five essays were analyzed. The average volume of essays is 34.5 lines. In the course of the analysis of works, the following results were obtained.
Only in 60% of the works, a joyful and happy attitude to the role of mother and child in particular can be traced. In other writings, love for a child is, as it were, a statement of fact. Despite the fact that the writings indicate that a woman loves a child, the general impression, the style of presentation does not allow us to conclude that the baby is an object of love and brings joy to a woman. The main idea of these works is that “… being a mother is a very responsible job…”, “… I have to do a lot for my child…”, “… I love Christina, because she is my daughter…” (see Appendix 13). It turns out that women are forced to take care of the child, they do not see joy in these worries.
An analysis of the works allows us to judge that at least 40% of the respondents planned the birth of a child (“... they decided that I would give birth to a child only after I graduated from the institute ...”) (see Appendix 14).
Regarding the level of knowledge of women, we note the following. 40% of respondents are aware of the lack of knowledge and experience, but at the same time they also indicate that they try to read the relevant literature, watch TV shows. In general, the works allow us to judge the average level of knowledge of the subjects, since there are problems associated with raising children (“... I can’t persuade you to sleep ...”, “... the husband believes that it is necessary to start educating now ...”, “... not I can refuse my beauty ... ").
It should be noted that the respondents of this age group are characterized by the fact that husbands are also involved in raising children (“... with dad's help we understand cars ...”, “... in the evenings, my husband likes to tinker with Danya ...”). This suggests that parents aged 21-23 are more conscious about the birth of a child, they want to be close to him.
The data obtained allow us to conclude that women aged 21-23 are aware of the responsibility for the upbringing and development of children, they know the functions of the mother. But these respondents are characterized by a low level of joyful and happy attitude towards the child and motherhood in general.
4 group. Subjects aged 24 to 26 years.
A total of five essays were analyzed. The average volume of essays was 41 lines, which indicates the emotional involvement of the respondents.
When reading the essays, one can feel the warm attitude of women towards children, they treat their child with love, although this may not be written openly. The pranks of children are described in a cheerful, friendly way. In most of the essays, respondents proudly describe the qualities of the child (“…diligent and inquisitive…”, “…my clever…”, “…although we are small, we understand everything…”) (see Appendix 15). When describing the appearance of the baby, the subjects note who he looks like, whose character the child has, that is, women realize that the baby is a part of them.
At the same time, women see joy in children, realize the value of motherhood. They point out that "... of course, there are not a few worries ...", but "... it is impossible to live without children ...". Respondents do not focus on problems. They are characterized by an emotionally positive attitude to overcome difficulties.
It should be noted that the difficulties of the subjects of this group are mainly related to the upbringing of children (“…sometimes I don’t know what to do…”, “…upbringing is a difficult task…”). Women receive the necessary information from magazines, TV shows, from friends who have children. 40% of respondents indicated that they use the advice of their parents. 60% note the husband's help in raising a child. It should be noted that only respondents aged 24-26 indicated that literature on raising children should also be read as the child grows up.
As for the value of a child, we can say that children are important in the lives of respondents in this age group (see Annex 16). Women pin their hopes on them.
After analyzing the essays of respondents in this age group, we can say that at least 60% of the subjects planned the birth of a child (“... my husband and I were seriously preparing to become parents ...”, “... I was sure that I was ready to become a mother ...”). That is, the birth of a baby for these women was conscious. Respondents understood the responsibility they were taking on.
Thus, despite the lack of knowledge about the upbringing of children, it can be said that women aged 24 to 26 years are better than others in coping with the role of mother.
The results of the analysis of the essays confirmed the data obtained during the survey: in women aged 24-26 years, the level of psychological readiness for motherhood is higher than in respondents aged 16-23.
Thus, the comparative analysis allowed us to draw the following conclusions:
· a trend has been found: the older the woman, the higher the indicators for all parameters that make up the psychological readiness for motherhood;
· with increasing age, the degree of awareness by respondents of the responsibility that a woman takes on when she decides to give birth to a child becomes higher;
· women aged 16-20 years among the problems that appear with the birth of a baby, indicate mainly financial difficulties and lack of free time. Older women consider important problems that consist of a lack of knowledge about the process of raising and developing children.
Conclusion
As we indicated in the introduction, the purpose of our study was to study the degree of psychological readiness for motherhood in Russian women.
We assumed:
1) psychologically more prepared for motherhood are women aged 24-26, since a woman at this age is mainly determined professionally. There is a realization that the goals regarding study, work have been achieved and therefore it is necessary to “transition” to setting and achieving the following, namely, to creating a family and having a child. In addition, medical scientists consider this age to be the most favorable for the birth of a child;
2) women aged 16-18 are the least ready to perform maternal functions, since modern science has established that the physical, intellectual and social maturity necessary for the birth and upbringing of a child does not occur at 16-18 years.
Having performed the necessary diagnostic work, we fulfilled our goal and confirmed the hypothesis.
Having measured the level of psychological readiness among respondents of different ages (from 16 to 26 years old) using the developed methodological tools, having studied the real attitude of the mother to the child and conducting a comparative analysis of the degree of psychological readiness for motherhood of women of different age groups, we can say that psychologically more women aged 24 to 26 are ready for motherhood, the least are women aged 16 to 18.
Respondents aged 24-26 have the highest rates for all the basic components that make up the psychological readiness for motherhood: social-personal, cognitive-operational, motivational-need readiness. For these women, in contrast to respondents aged 16-23, a child and motherhood in general are of the greatest importance among life values. They are fully aware of the responsibility that a woman takes on when she decides to have a baby. In addition, a woman aged 24-26 is mainly determined in professional terms. There is also a realization that the goals regarding study and work have been achieved and therefore it is necessary to “move on” to setting and achieving the following, namely, to creating a family and having a child.
Thus, the research hypothesis is confirmed, the goal is achieved, the tasks are completed.
Further research on this topic can be directed to:
· to develop a psychological program to prepare women for motherhood;
for additional study of the personal characteristics of women expecting a child;
· to develop medical and psychological programs to provide timely assistance to women with unformed readiness for motherhood;
· timely diagnosis and prevention of deviant motherhood.
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Every father and mother dreams of a child growing up healthy, prosperous, smart and happy. They want their children to be out of trouble, so that they do not do stupid things, but work miracles. However, ordinary people often grow up who suffer in the same way as their parents did. Is it really impossible to make what you want come true? Who are the parents of successful children? Those who fulfilled every whim of their child at the first request? Or those who allow a lot and do not punish children even for the slightest offense?
Before answering these questions, you need to understand the main task of parents? The main task of parents is a full-fledged course in raising your child. In order for parents to be able to fully instill good skills in their children, they themselves must possess certain qualities. The qualities described in this article should become a guideline for you, following which you will definitely come to the goal.
So, if a parent wants to raise a child who will be socially adapted and psychologically healthy, independent and self-sufficient, then he himself needs to develop the following qualities.
Quality #1. Encouraging children to do household chores
Washing dishes, cooking, washing clothes, cleaning the room and other household chores are quite normal in the life of every person. Parents should teach their child to do household chores not as a punishment, but because it is part of everyone's life.
Quality #2. Social skills training
Parents are actively involved in developing in the child those skills that will help him in establishing contacts with other people. The different characters of others must be taken into account as well as the good and bad deeds that may appear. Parents teach the child to adequately respond to any behavior addressed to them, as well as to respond to it in such a way as to maintain their own dignity and improve relationships with others.
Quality #3. Ability to get along with each other
This applies not only to the relationship between parents and children, but also between the spouses themselves. The presence of both parents in the family, the ability to calmly resolve any conflicts, respectful communication with the child when he is wrong, and other situations are remembered by the baby, who then plays out the behavior patterns of mom and dad when he encounters problem situations. The general consistency between parents is important because there is nothing worse when, during the upbringing of a child, parents begin to make comments to each other and educate each other. Without this, the realization of other qualities and principles is impossible. Learn to negotiate with each other in a private conversation from the child. And most importantly, be consistent.
Quality #4. Responsibility
Good parents take responsibility not only for the physical health of the child - good nutrition, daily and sleep patterns, being outdoors, and so on. They provide a favorable climate for the emotional, intellectual and spiritual development of the child. Friendly home atmosphere and positive attitude play an important role. A happy childhood is the foundation of all life, it forms the entire life scenario of a child.
Quality #5. Working on a relationship with a child
Parents did not just give birth to a child and now they are raising him, as it turns out, but purposefully perform certain actions, understanding the consequences. Parents study the psychology of children at different ages, change themselves as the child grows up, learn to get along with him as a friend, and not as a boss and subordinate. Therefore, it is important to be tactful towards your child, you should not impose your opinion on him, even you are sure that you are right. Children have the right to their opinion, regardless of age, and the task of parents is to learn to hear their child and value his opinion.
Quality #6. Stress resistance
Parents need to watch what emotions they show. A child can cause resentment and irritation, so calmness and stress resistance are very important in raising a child.
Quality #7. Show interest in your child's life
The child does not need excessive guardianship, but your attention is needed. Work, household chores take a lot of time, it is important to find time for full communication with the child. In the world of modern technology and progress, do not allow yourself and your child to fence themselves off from each other with gadgets so as not to become strangers. Learn to listen and hear your child, cherish and enjoy every minute of joint communication and pastime.
Quality #8. Confidence
You must believe in your child, believe in his success. If there is uncertainty in the abilities of the child, he himself will doubt them, which will certainly be reflected in the future. Be confident in your child and be confident in yourself as children copy their parents' model of the world.
Quality #9. Solving problems, not avoiding them
Parents show their children by their own example that it is necessary to solve the problem, and not run away from it. Remember that children imitate their parents, in both good and bad ways. If adults are imperfect in some way, then their children can also develop similar qualities.
Quality #10. Flexibility of parenting
Each age should have its own methods of education. Children grow up, so the parent must notice age-related changes in time and competently “adjust” to them.
Quality #11. Both spouses have a job
There is no division in the family according to who should earn money. The world has changed, so a woman should work just like a man. This sets a good example for children who will understand that they must work, regardless of gender.
Quality #12. Authority
In a family where successful children grew up, parents were authoritative. In other families where permissiveness or authoritarianism reigns, unsuccessful children grow up. You should evoke sincere respect from your children, which happens through the actions, words and attitudes of parents. If children respect their parents, then they take their example and get along with them.
Quality #13. Instilling good habits and a healthy lifestyle
A person is born healthy, so it is important not only to be able to maintain their health, the main task of parents is to teach the baby to follow a healthy lifestyle as early as possible. If you do not take care of your body, it will start to hurt. A child needs to instill healthy habits from early childhood, talking about the consequences of harmful ones.
Quality #14. Curiosity
Parents, among other things, should be interested in raising children. If there is no interest, but there is only a strong need, then even the best method of education may be ineffective. However, in most cases, consciously or not, parents have an interest. Of course, you need to thank the child for this, because it is he who brings a very large element of novelty into the life of parents, awakening the parents' interest in themselves, in how they grow, develop, and learn about the world.
Quality #15. Sense of humor
There is nothing sadder than the upbringing of children by parents who have no sense of humor at all. One can only sympathize with such children - they are likely to have serious problems in life and, above all, in communicating with other people.
And it is much more difficult for parents who do not have a sense of humor, and especially in relation to themselves, to raise children, especially since humor is an excellent means of emotional self-regulation, which the vast majority of parents need.
Quality #16. Unconditional love
They say that in order to raise a child well, it is enough to love him. And not just love, but love unconditionally. This concept includes faith in your child and that he will grow up to be a good person and be able to take care of himself. It is the unconditional love of parents that leads the child to adulthood, delegating to him all the powers to manage his own life at his own discretion.
Successful children grow up in families where both parents are interested in the development of their children. Father and mother equally pay attention to their babies, because each brings his own character and sets an example. They show what kind of relationship should be between loving people. They become examples of what soulmates their children will choose when they grow up. Parents are responsible for the happiness and success of their children, who invest in them the foundations of life.
There is no one-size-fits-all recipe for parenting, but the parenting traits we have described in this article predict success with children. These qualities unite the parents of successful children. And remember, a happy childhood shapes a happy future.
