Skip to main content

Theoretical Perspectives

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Transition to Parenthood

Abstract

The transition to parenthood is a multidisciplinary phenomenon which has been evaluated by various theoretical perspectives. This chapter begins with a discussion on how theoretical perspectives have guided the work of researchers in this area. We then focus on four theoretical perspectives, Symbolic interaction theory, Attachment theory, Life course theory, and Ecological theory. In conclusion we introduce new theoretical model, the Exchange-based Decision-Making Outcomes Model, and illustrate some of its potential applications to parenting.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 69.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 89.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    The same correlations were −0.48 for males and −0.49 for females (p < 0.10, one-tailed, N = 10 each).

References

  • Aesop (1981). Aesop’s fables. New York: Viking Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ainslie, G., & Haslam, N. (1992). Hyperbolic discounting. In G. Loewenstein (Ed.), Choice over time (pp. 57–92). New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alexander, R., Feeney, J., Hohaus, L., & Noller, P. (2001). Attachment style and coping resources as predictors of coping strategies in the transition to parenthood. Personal Relationships, 8, 137–152.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Backman, C. W. (1981). Attraction in interpersonal relationships. In R. Turner & M. Rosenberg (Eds.), Sociological perspectives on social psychology (pp. 235–268). New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Balter, M. (2008). Why we’re different: Probing the gap between apes and humans. Science, 319, 404–405.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bartholomew, K., & Horowitz, L. M. (1991). Attachment styles among young adults: A test of a four-category model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61, 226–244. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.61.2.226.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baumeister, R. F., & Tierney, J. (2011). Willpower. New York: Penguin Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Becker, G. (1964). Human capital. New York: Columbia University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Behringer, J., Reiner, I., & Spangler, G. (2011). Maternal representations of past and current attachment relationships, and emotional experience across the transition to motherhood: A longitudinal study. Journal of Family Psychology, 25(2), 210–219.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Belsky, J. (1984). The determinants of parenting: A process model. Child Development, 55, 83–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Belsky, J. (1985). Exploring individual differences in marital change across the transition to parenthood: The role of violated expectations. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 47, 1037–1044.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Belsky, J., & Rovine, M. (1990). Patterns of marital change across the transition to parenthood: Pregnancy to three years postpartum. Journal of Marriage and Family, 52, 5–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Belsky, J., Lang, M., & Huston, T. L. (1986). Sex typing and division of labor as determinants of marital change across the transition to parenthood. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50, 517–522.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bengston, V. L., & Allen, K. R. (1993). The life course perspective applied to families over time. In P. G. Boss, W. J. Doherty, R. LaRossa, W. R. Schumm, & S. K. Steinmetz (Eds.), Sourcebook of family theories and methods: A contextual approach (pp. 469–499). New York: Plenum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blayock, J., Smallwood, S., Kassel, K., Variyam, J., & Aldrich, L. (1999). Economics, food choices, and nutrition. Food Policy, 24, 269–286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment and loss: Vol. 1. Attachment. New York, NY: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowlby, J. (1973). Attachment and loss: Vol. 2. Separation: anxiety and anger. New York, NY: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowlby, J. (1980). Attachment and loss: Vol. 3: Loss: Sadness and depression. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowlby, J. (1982). Attachment. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boxer, A. M. (1992). Adolescent pregnancy and parenthood in the transition to adulthood. In M. K. Rosenheim & M. F. Testa (Eds.), Early parenthood and coming of age in the 1990s (pp. 46–54). Piscataway: Rutgers University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bronfenbrenner, U. (1986). The ecology of the family as a context for human development: Research perspectives. Development Psychology, 22, 723–742.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bubolz, M. M., & Sontag, M. S. (1993). Human ecology theory. In P. G. Boss, W. J. Doherty, R. LaRossa, W. R. Schumm, & S. K. Steinmetz (Eds.), Sourcebook of family theories and methods: A contextual approach (pp. 419–448). New York: Plenum.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Burr, W. R., Leigh, G., Day, R., Constantine, J. (1979). Symbolic interaction and the family. Contemporary theories about the family: General theories/theoretical orientations (Vol. 2, pp. 42–111). New York, NY: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Caldwell, S. B. (1980). Life course perspectives on adolescent parenthood research. Journal of Social Issues, 36(1), 130–144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Call, V. R. A., & Teachman, J. D. (1991). Military service and stability in the family life course. Military Psychology, 3, 233–250.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cobb, R. J. (2002). Attachment and marital quality: Changes in the first years of marriage. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering, 63(10-B), 4893.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coltrane, S., & Ishii-Kuntz, M. (1992). Men’s housework: A life course perspective. Journal of Marriage and Family, 54(1), 43–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cowan, C. P., & Cowan, P. A. (1992/2000). When partners become parents: The big life change for couples. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cusinato, M. (1994). Parenting over the family life cycle. In L. L’Abate (Ed.), Handbook of developmental family psychology and psychopathology (pp. 83–115). Oxford: John Wiley & Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Delmore-Ko, P., Pancer, S. M., Hunsberger, B., & Pratt, M. (2000). Becoming a parent: The relation between prenatal expectations and postnatal experience. Journal of Family Psychology, 14, 625–640.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doherty, W. J., Boss, P. G., LaRossa, R., Schumm, W. R., & Strinmetz, S. K. (1993). Family theories and methods: A contextual approach. In P. G. Boss, W. J. Doherty, R. LaRossa, W. R. Schumm, & S. K. Steinmetz (Eds.), Sourcebook of family theories and methods: A contextual approach (pp. 3–30). New York: Plenum.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Drouhin, N. (2001). Lifetime uncertainty and time preference. Theory and Decision, 51, 145–172.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ehrlich, I., & Chuma, H. (1990). A model of the demand for longevity and the value of life extension. Journal of Political Economy, 98(4), 761–782.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feeney, J. A., & Noller, P. (1996). Adult attachment. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feeney, J. A., Hohaus, L., Noller, P., & Alexander, R. P. (2001). Becoming parents: Exploring the bonds between mothers, fathers, and their infants. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Feeney, J., Alexander, R., Noller, P., & Hohaus, L. (2003). Attachment insecurity, depression, and the transition to parenthood. Personal Relationships, 10, 475–493.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fuchs, V. (1986). The health economy. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fuchs, V. (1991). Time preference and health: An exploratory study. In A. J. Culyer (Ed.), The economics of health (Vol. 1). Great Yarmouth: Edward Elgar Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gage, M. G., & Christensen, D. H. (1991). Parental role socialization and the transition to parenthood. Family Relations, 40(3), 332–337.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giele, J. Z., & Elder, G. H, Jr. (1998). Methods of life course research: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Green, L., Fry, A. F., & Myerson, J. (1994). Discounting of delayed rewards: A life-span comparison. Psychological Science, 5(1), 33–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grossman, M. (1972). The demand for health: A theoretical and empirical investigation. New York: Columbia University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gubernskaya, Z. (2010). Changing attitudes toward marriage and children in six countries. Sociological Perspectives, 53, 179–200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hagestad, G. O., & Neugarten, B. L. (1985). Age and the life course. In R. H. Binstock & E. Shanas (Eds.), Handbook of aging and the social sciences (Vol. 2, pp. 25–61). New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hann, D. M., Osofsky, J. D., Barnard, K. E., & Leonard, G. (1994). Dyadic affect regulation in three caregiving environments. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 64(2), 263–269. doi:10.1037/h0079510.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harwood, K., McLean, N., & Durkin, K. (2007). First-time mothers’ expectations of parenthood: What happens when optimistic expectations are not matched by later experiences? Developmental Psychology, 43, 1–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hazan, C., & Shaver, P. (1987). Romantic love conceptualized as an attachment process. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 511–524. doi:10.1037/00223514.52.3.511.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jacoby, A. P. (1969). Transition to parenthood: A reassessment. Journal of Marriage and Family, 31(4), 720–727.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaufman, M., & Schumm, W. R. (2011, November 18). Luntz’s cultural divide: Intrinsic religiosity, future orientation, and impulsivity. Poster session, National Council on Family Relations, Orlando, Florida.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klein, D. M., & White, J. M. (1996). Family theories: An introduction. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Komlos, J., Smith, P. K., & Bogin, B. (2004). Obesity and the rate of time preference: Is there a connection? Journal of Biosocial Science, 36, 209–219.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LaRossa, R., & Reitzes, D. C. (1993). Symbolic interactionism and family studies. In P. G. Boss, W. J. Doherty, R. LaRossa, W. R. Schumm, & S. K. Steinmetz (Eds.), Sourcebook of family theories and methods: A contextual approach (pp. 135–163). New York: Plenum.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Lawrence, E., Cobb, R. J., Rothman, A. D., Rothman, M. T., & Bradbury, T. N. (2008). Marital satisfaction across the transition to parenthood. Journal of Family Psychology, 22, 41–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lesthaeghe, R. (2010). The unfolding story of the second demographic transition. Population and Development Review, 36, 211–251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levy-Shiff, R. (1994). Individual and contextual correlates of marital change across the transition to parenthood. Developmental Psychology, 30(4), 591–601.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luntz, F. I. (2009). What Americans really want…. really. New York: Hyperion.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCullough, M. E., & Willoughby, B. L. B. (2009). Religion, self-regulation, and self-control: Associations, explanations, and implications. Psychological Bulletin, 135, 69–93.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mischel, W., Shoda, Y., & Peake, P. K. (1988). The nature of adolescent competencies predicted by preschool delay of gratification. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 34(4), 687–696.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mischel, W., Shoda, Y., & Rodriquez, M. (1989). Delay of gratification in children. Science, 244, 933–938.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moffitt, T. E., Arseneault, L., Belsky, D., Dickson, N., Hancox, R. J., Harrington, H., et al. (2011). A gradient of childhood self-control predicts health, wealth, and public safety. PNAS, 108, 2693–2698.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Möller, K., Hwang, C. P., & Wickberg, B. (2006). Romantic attachment, parenthood and marital satisfaction. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 24(3), 233–240.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murphy, M. (2011). Long-term effects of the demographic transition on family and kinship networks in Britain. Population and Development Review, 37 (Suppl.), 55–80.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nye, F. I. (1979). Choice, exchange, and the family. In W. R. Burr, R. Hill, F. I. Nye, & I. L. Reiss (Eds.), Contemporary theories about the family: General theories/theoretical orientations (Vol. 2, pp. 1–41). New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paley, B., Cox, M. J., Harter, K. S. M., & Margand, N. A. (2002). Adult attachment stance and spouses’ marital perceptions during the transition to parenthood. Attachment & Human Development, 4(3), 340–360.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palkovitz, R. (1996). Parenting as a generator of adult development: Conceptual issues and implications. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 13(4), 571–592.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palkovitz, R., & Palm, G. (2009). Transitions within fathering. Fathering, 7(1), 3–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pancer, S. M., Pratt, M., Hunsberger, B., & Gallant, M. (2000). Thinking ahead: Complexity of expectations and the transition to parenthood. Journal of Personality, 68, 253–278.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perelli-Harris, B., & Gerber, T. P. (2011). Nonmarital childbearing in Russia: Second Demographic Transition or pattern of disadvantage? Demography, 48, 317–342.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rholes, W. S., Simpson, J. A., Campbell, L., & Grich, J. (2001). Adult attachment and the transition to parenthood. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 81(3), 421–435.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rholes, W. S., Simpson, J. A., Kohn, J. L., Wilson, C. L., Martin, A. M, I. I. I., Tran, S., et al. (2011). Attachment orientations and depression: A longitudinal study of new parents. Attitudes and Social Cognition, 100(4), 567–586.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruble, D., Fleming, S., Hackel, L., & Stagnor, C. (1988). Changes in the marital relationship during the transition to first time motherhood: Effects of violated expectations concerning division of household labor. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 55, 78–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sethi, A., Michel, W., Aber, J. L., Shoda, Y., & Rodriquez, M. L. (2000). The role of strategic attention deployment in development of self-regulation: predicting preschoolers’ delay of gratification from mother-toddler interactions. Developmental Psychology, 36(6), 767–777.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shapiro, A., Gottman, J., & Carrere, S. (2000). The baby and the marriage: Identifying factors that buffers against decline in marital satisfaction after the first baby arrives. Journal of Family Psychology, 14, 59–70.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shoda, Y., Mischel, W., & Peake, P. K. (1990). Predicting adolescent cognitive and self-regulatory competencies from preschool delay of gratification: Identifying diagnostic conditions. Developmental Psychology, 26(6), 978–986.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simpson, J. A., & Rholes, W. S. (2002). Attachment orientations, marriage, and the transition to parenthood. Journal of Research in Personality, 36, 622–628.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simpson, J. A., & Rholes, W. S. (2008). Attachment, perceived support, and the transition to parenthood: Social policy and health implication. Social Issues and Policy Review, 2(1), 37–63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simpson, J. A., Rholes, W. S., Campbell, L., Tran, S., & Wilson, C. L. (2003). Adult attachment, the transition to parenthood, and depressive symptoms. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(6), 1172–1187.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sroufe, L. A., & Waters, E. (1977). Attachment as an organizational construct. Child Development, 50, 821–829.

    Google Scholar 

  • Teachman, J. D. (1985). Historical and subgroup variations in the association between marriage and first childbirth: A life-course perspective. Journal of Family History, 10(4), 379–401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trillingsgaard, T., Elklit, A., Markvart, R., Pedersen, A., & Armour, C. (2011). Adult attachment, gender polarization, and division of labour at transition to parenthood. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 29(4), 354–363.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White, J. M. (2005). Advancing family theories. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • White, J. M., & Klein, D. M. (2002). Family theories (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • White, J. M., & Klein, D. M. (2007). Family theories (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Roudi Nazarinia Roy .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Nazarinia Roy, R., Schumm, W.R., Britt, S.L. (2014). Theoretical Perspectives. In: Transition to Parenthood. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7768-6_2

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics