Mothering, Guilt and Shame
Abstract
Abstract Even as research continues to explore mothering experiences and social psychologists consider the costs of guilt and shame, few empirical works have examined the relationships among mothering, guilt and shame. The idea that guilt and shame are necessary components of mothering is widespread. A few sources take seriously the emotions of guilt and shame nor has considerable thought been given to the social nature of guilt and shame. Rather than accept a purely psychological explanation of guilt and shame, I investigate the institutional and interactional dynamics that fuel women’s drives to perform as ‘the good mother’. In particular, I explore the ‘good mothering’ ideology that places mothers at risk of guilt and shame and then two social and institutional spaces where guilt and shame are likely to be prevalent.
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The relationship between dog owners' guilt and discrepancy between actual and ideal self, in regard to the role of a dog owner, mirrored human-only family research.
“Additionally, our results pertaining to the relationship between pet owners’ guilt and discrepancy between participants’ actual and ideal self, in regard to the role of a dog owner, also mirrored human-only family research.”
From Disenfranchised Guilt-Pet Owners' Burden. (2022) · cites this paper as [34]
WFC and related guilt appear to be more prevalent among women than men.
“several studies suggest that WFC and related guilt appear to be more prevalent among women (both working and stay-at-home mothers), when compared to men [8,30,31,32,33,34,35].”
From Disenfranchised Guilt-Pet Owners' Burden. (2022) · cites this paper as [34]
Cites
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Guilt: An interpersonal approach
Baumeister, R. F., Stillwell, A. M., & Heatherton, T. F. (1994) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.115.2.243 · Cited by 1,884 · see citing works
Conceptual and methodological issues in the assessment of shame and guilt
Tangney, J. P. (1996) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/0005-7967(96)00034-4 · Cited by 439 · see citing works
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Threats and thrills: pregnancy apps, risk and consumption
Thomas, G. M., & Lupton, D. (2016) · Health, Risk & Society · doi:10.1080/13698575.2015.1127333 · Cited by 142 · see citing works
Feasibility and acceptability of a brief online self-compassion intervention for mothers of infants
Mitchell, A. E., Whittingham, K., Steindl, S., & Kirby, J. (2018) · Archives of Women's Mental Health · doi:10.1007/s00737-018-0829-y · Cited by 77 · see citing works
Fonseca, A., Monteiro, F., Alves, S., Gorayeb, R., & Canavarro, M. C. (2019) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00265 · Cited by 67 · see citing works
Mindful parenting in secondary child mental health: key parenting predictors of treatment effects
Emerson, L. M., Aktar, E., de Bruin, E., Potharst, E., & Bögels, S. (2021) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-019-01176-w · Cited by 64 · see citing works
Monteiro, F., Fonseca, A., Pereira, M., Alves, S., & Canavarro, M. C. (2019) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2018.12.124 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
“However, societal ideologies highlight that a normative response to motherhood is the presence of immediate and continuous feelings of happiness and joy (Sutherland, 2010).”
BackgroundDisenfranchised Guilt-Pet Owners' Burden.
Kogan, L. R., Bussolari, C., Currin-McCulloch, J., Packman, W., & Erdman, P. (2022) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani12131690 · Cited by 52 · see citing works
“Studies have shown that when women experience discrepancy between their actual sense of self, in relation to being a mother, and their ideal sense of a mother, they feel maternal guilt and shame [31,34,37].”
BackgroundShame and guilt in the postnatal period: A systematic review
Caldwell, J., Meredith, P., Whittingham, K., & Ziviani, J. (2021) · Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology · doi:10.1080/02646838.2020.1754372 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
- Authors
- Sutherland, J.
- Affiliations
- University of North Carolina Wilmington (US)
- Corresponding author
- Sutherland, Jean‐Anne
- Venue
- Sociology Compass
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2010-05
- Volume
- 4
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 310-321
- ISSN
- 1751-9020 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2160442321
- Cited by
- 221
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 16 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 28 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 3.50
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Sociology Compass (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Emotions and Moral Behavior
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History › History of Emotions Research
- Social Sciences › Demography › Family Dynamics and Relationships
- Keywords
- maternal care, guilt, shame, women, social construction of emotion, institutional dynamics, interaction dynamics, maternal identity
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