TY - JOUR
T1 - Psychological Need-Based Experiences as Energizing Processes for Mothers’ Identity Formation
AU - Arden, Adi
AU - Katz, Idit
AU - Slobodin, Ortal
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported by the Israeli Scientific Foundation, grant number 18/864.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
PY - 2023/9/1
Y1 - 2023/9/1
N2 - Research anchored in self-determination theory (SDT) has demonstrated the positive effects of parental need support on children’s ability to formulate a clear and integrated identity. However, much less is known about what motivates parents’ identity formation processes and how these processes are related to their parenting practices. Integrating SDT with identity formation theorizing, this study investigated mothers’ identity processing style as a possible mediator of the relationship between their own need-based experiences and their parenting practice. In total, 429 Israeli mothers of preschool children (age 3–6 years) participated in the study. Participants provided information about their experience of psychological need satisfaction and frustration, identity processing styles, identity commitment, and parenting practices. Results showed that mothers whose basic psychological needs were satisfied were more likely to provide autonomy support and structure in their interactions with their children. This relationship was mediated by mothers’ tendency to adopt a more informational identity processing style and higher identity commitment. In contrast, mothers’ experiences of need frustration were associated with psychologically controlling and chaotic practices through diffuse-avoidant identity processing style. A normative identity style mediated the association between mothers’ need frustration and their use of psychological control and structure. Our findings suggest that the satisfaction of mothers’ basic needs provides them the inner resources to explore existing identity options and facilitates greater self-organization and integrated identity development. In contrast, the frustration of mothers’ psychological needs has an energy-depleting effect on mothers.
AB - Research anchored in self-determination theory (SDT) has demonstrated the positive effects of parental need support on children’s ability to formulate a clear and integrated identity. However, much less is known about what motivates parents’ identity formation processes and how these processes are related to their parenting practices. Integrating SDT with identity formation theorizing, this study investigated mothers’ identity processing style as a possible mediator of the relationship between their own need-based experiences and their parenting practice. In total, 429 Israeli mothers of preschool children (age 3–6 years) participated in the study. Participants provided information about their experience of psychological need satisfaction and frustration, identity processing styles, identity commitment, and parenting practices. Results showed that mothers whose basic psychological needs were satisfied were more likely to provide autonomy support and structure in their interactions with their children. This relationship was mediated by mothers’ tendency to adopt a more informational identity processing style and higher identity commitment. In contrast, mothers’ experiences of need frustration were associated with psychologically controlling and chaotic practices through diffuse-avoidant identity processing style. A normative identity style mediated the association between mothers’ need frustration and their use of psychological control and structure. Our findings suggest that the satisfaction of mothers’ basic needs provides them the inner resources to explore existing identity options and facilitates greater self-organization and integrated identity development. In contrast, the frustration of mothers’ psychological needs has an energy-depleting effect on mothers.
KW - Autonomy-supportive parenting
KW - Controlling parenting
KW - Identity processing style
KW - Mothers
KW - Self-determination theory
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85127570068&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10826-022-02258-5
DO - 10.1007/s10826-022-02258-5
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85127570068
SN - 1062-1024
VL - 32
SP - 2573
EP - 2587
JO - Journal of Child and Family Studies
JF - Journal of Child and Family Studies
IS - 9
ER -