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Updated: Jun 5, 2026
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Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure
Published on: September 19, 2019
Idealizing parenthood to rationalize parental investments
Richard P Eibach1, Steven E Mock
1Psychology Department, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave. West, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1. reibach@uwaterloo.ca
Psychological Science
|January 20, 2011
Summary
Belief in myths idealizing parenthood helps parents cope with the high financial costs of raising children. This idealization helps parents manage negative emotions and maintain a positive view of their parental role.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Family Studies
Background:
- Parenthood is often idealized as emotionally rewarding, despite research indicating negative effects on parental well-being.
- Parents may face dissonance due to the significant financial costs of raising children.
- Belief in idealized myths of parenthood may serve as a coping mechanism.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the hypothesis that idealizing parenthood myths help parents cope with the dissonance from child-rearing costs.
- To investigate how salience of costs and benefits influences parental idealization and emotional well-being.
- To explore the role of dissonant feelings in mediating the effect of salient information on parental idealization.
Main Methods:
- Study 1: Manipulated the salience of parenting costs versus costs and benefits; measured parental idealization and dissonant feelings.
- Study 2: Assessed parental enjoyment and intended leisure time with children based on manipulated salience of costs and benefits.
- Utilized correlational and experimental designs to examine psychological mechanisms.
Main Results:
- Parents endorsed idealization of parenthood more when only costs were salient compared to when costs and benefits were salient.
- Dissonant feelings mediated the influence of salient information on the idealization of parenthood.
- Participants reported greater enjoyment and intended more leisure time with children when only costs were salient.
Conclusions:
- Belief in idealized parenthood myths can be a coping strategy for parents facing the financial burdens of child-rearing.
- The findings have implications for understanding parental investment and the perpetuation of societal myths about parenthood.
- Interventions could address the dissonance experienced by parents by acknowledging both costs and benefits realistically.
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