A qualitative investigation of maternal representations in pregnancy and early motherhood

Abstract

The present study aimed to explore the maternal self and object representations and develop an understanding of the course of maternal identity formation. The sample of the study consisted of 10 primiparous mothers, equally divided on the sex of their infants whose ages ranged between 6 to 12 months. The data gathered through a semi structured interview with the participants, focused on their subjective experiences in representational and relational aspects from pregnancy onwards, and was interpreted through a narrative analysis approach, based on Stern’s “motherhood constellation” construct (1995). The results of the study evidenced the existence of a motherhood constellation for this sample of mothers in Turkey with its four common themes, with some specific cultural factors influencing representational and relational experiences of motherhood. The narratives revealed a gender based difference in mothers’ representations; mothers of daughters indicated more projection in their reflections for their infants than mothers of sons. Participants had difficulties in separating self-as-person from self-as-mother and self-as-mother from self-as-woman identities. It is evidenced that mothers reorganize their relationship with and representations of their own mothers, husbands, and fathers. Though the results did not signify a direct relationship between maternal representations and perceived maternal efficacy, gender based differences appeared in mothering cases.|Keywords: Maternal representations, motherhood constellation, relationships with family, perceived maternal efficacy.