Identity development during the transition to motherhood: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

Abstract

This paper illustrates the development of a theoretical model of how aspects of a woman's sense of identity can be transformed during the transition to motherhood. The study is idiographic and primarily qualitative and is grounded in the detailed case-studies of individual women going through the transition, prioritizing their own accounts of the experience. The study employs an interpretative phenomenological analysis of interviews, diaries and repertory grids. The paper presents a processual model of the transition. Key components of the model attend to the women's perception of their social roles. It suggests that during pregnancy a woman's focus may turn from the public world of work towards the more local world of family and friends. This shift may help with the woman's preparation for the new role she is taking on and may furthermore contribute to a transformation of the woman's subsequent life plans. Examples from the women's accounts illustrate each component of the model The theoretical model is then discussed in relation to the existing literature.