VIEWING ADOLESCENT MOTHERS ON THEIR OWN TERMS - LINKING SELF-CONCEPTUALIZATION AND ADOLESCENT MOTHERHOOD

Understanding the relations between adolescent mothers and their child ren may be promoted by viewing them in terms of psychosocial factors i n the context of Western adolescence with its emphasis on the multifac eted nature of self-conceptualization and role evaluation. Focusing on these developmental factors highlights the broader social context and the psychosocial issues that shape adolescent mothers' views and expe riences of their circumstances. This paper focuses on adolescent mothe rs' varying identity struggles regarding the maternal role. These stru ggles contribute to adolescent mothers' attitudes toward mothering and how they approach their relationships with their children. Implicatio ns of this conceptualization of adolescent motherhood for research and applied settings are discussed. (C) 1994 Academic Press, Inc.