Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Research Fundamentals
22
9
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TYPE
Original Research
PAGE NO.
22-26
DOI
OPEN ACCESS
SUBMITED
12 April 2025
ACCEPTED
08 May 2025
PUBLISHED
10 June 2025
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue06 2025
COPYRIGHT
© 2025 Original content from this work may be used under the terms
of the creative commons attributes 4.0 License.
The Relationship Between
A Mother's Self-Perception
and Her Child's Attitude
Abdullayeva Dilbar Ubaydullayevna
Professor at the Department of Psychology at Tashkent State Pedagogical
University named after Nizami, Doctor of Psychological Sciences (DSc),
Uzbekistan
Abstract:
This article examines the relationship
between a woman’s self
-perception as a mother and her
adolescent child’s att
itude toward her. It analyzes how
a woman's maternal self-image is reflected in her child's
attitude and behavior toward her.
Keywords:
W
oman, adolescent, “self
-
image,” “ideal
mother” image, perception, quality, characteristic,
relationship, behavior.
Introduction:
Marriage objectively leads to changes in
the social status of both men and women and,
consequently, to new social roles. These changes
significantly influence a person’s “self
-
concept,” i.e.,
their generalized self-perception and the system of self-
directed attitudes [6]. Particularly, becoming a parent
necessitates changes in one's self-image and criteria for
self-evaluation [5].
Psychology has accumulated extensive evidence that
the characteristics of a person’s self
-concept are directly
connected to their attitudes toward others and are
associated with a wide range of psychological traits. S.G.
Yakobson and S.M. Moreva discovered that even at
preschool age, a structured “self
-
image” significantly
influences children's moral behavior [7].
In general, numerous studies confirm that the self-
concept holds a significant place among the
psychological
factors
influencing
behavior
in
interpersonal relationships. However, the role of this
factor in parent-child relationships has not been
sufficiently studied. Most research in this area focuses
on how different parental attitudes affect the
development of the child’s self
-perception. For
example, O.P. Makushina found that adolescents who
feel strongly dependent on their parents show no
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Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Research Fundamentals
cognitive distinction between their ideal and real self-
concepts [4]. According to R. Burns, authoritarian
parental behavior can hinder the development of a
positive self-concept in children, leading to
emotionally unstable self-perception [3].
Data collected in psychological studies confirm that the
self-
concept manifests itself in a person’s relationship
with others, and that family relations play a crucial role
in shaping this psychological structure. Some authors
recommend that parents' ability to build appropriate
relationships with their children largely depends on
how adequate their own parental self-concept is [5, 1].
However, such practical recommendations often lack
clearly presented empirical foundations.
Special studies have explored parental ideas about the
“ideal parent,” particularly through T. Leary’s
methodology. In K.N. Belogay’s research, it was found
that, according to self-assessments, fathers associated
the ideal father with dominance, while mothers
associated the ideal mother with friendliness [2].
In our research, we studied this direction in depth
—
specifically, the relationship between mothers’ self
-
concepts as mothers and the quality of their relationship
with their adolescent children. For the empirical study,
T. Leary’s "Interpersonal Diagnosis Questionnaire" was
used to evaluate the degree of congruence and
divergence between the mothers’ self
-image and their
perception of the “ideal mother.” A total of 112 women
participated. Additionally, N.I. Shevandrin’s “Analysis of
the Student’s Socio
-
Psychological Connections” method
was employed to assess how 112 adolescents evaluated
their relationships with their mothers.
While previous studies have investigated the content of
ideal parent representations among men and women,
how these perceptions are reflected in children's
attitudes toward their parents has not been specifically
examined. Our research reveals a distinctive interaction
between these psychological structures.
Table 1
Indicators of adolescent attitudes toward mothers with predominantly negative
perceptions of themselves as mothers compared to their ideal mother image (based
on average values)
№
Octant Dominant
Poles
Criteria of Attitudes Toward the Mother and Their
Distribution Indicators
Co
n
su
lt
w
it
h
h
er
I value
h
er
o
p
in
io
n
iSh
e can
b
e
tru
st
ed
I belie
v
e
sh
e
u
n
d
er
st
an
d
s
I belie
v
e
sh
e
w
il
l
h
el
p
I belie
v
e
sh
e
w
il
l
p
ro
tect
I wa
n
t
to
imi
ta
te
h
er
1 Dominance
0,63
0,71
1,02
0,54
0,68
1,22
0,34
2 Superiority
1,68
1,24
1,33
0,61
1,72
1,84
1,78
3 Aggressiveness
0,31
0,43
0,41
0,25
0,48
1,32
0,37
4 Skepticism
1,39
0,45
0,54
0,23
0,51
0,41
0,25
5 Obedience
0,83
1,37
1,21
1,35
1,54
0,29
0,32
6 Submissiveness
0,22
0,31
0,40
1,72
0,38
0,41
0,44
7 Conventionality
1,89
1,21
1,04
1,78
1,91
1,64
0,42
8 Tolerance
1,92
1,74
1,83
1,94
1,97
1,03
1,32
As can be seen from the quantitative indicators
presented in the table above, adolescents whose
mothers rated themselves higher than the "ideal
mother" in characteristics associated with the
“dominance,” “aggressiveness,” and “submissiveness”
octants showed low levels of consultation (0.63), (0.31),
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and (0.22) respectively. Adolescents were more
inclined to seek advice from mothers characterized by
“assertiveness,” “skepticism,” “conventionality,” and
“tolerance.” However, adolescents inclined to consult
with assertive mothers (1.68) expressed low
confidence in their mothers’ understanding (0.61).
Similarly, although adolescents tend to consult with
skeptical mothers (1.39), they do not highly value their
opinions (0.45) or believe in their ability to understand
them (0.23).
It was found that only mothers characterized by
“conventionality” (a tendency to display friendly,
agreeable behavior) and “tolerance”
(extreme
compassion and ostentatious altruism) could inspire
both consultation and trust in their opinions and
understanding from their adolescent children.
Apart from the trait of “tolerance,” adolescents also
expressed that they valued the opinions of mothers
with “obedience” (1.37), although they lacked
confidence in these mothers’ ability to protect them
(0.29). In our opinion, adolescents may pay attention
to the views of such mothers
—
who tend to be entirely
obedient, feel perpetually guilty, and prone to self-
deprecation
—
out of compassion, but likely conclude
that it is unreasonable to expect strong protection
from individuals with such traits.
Only adolescents of mothers who demonstrated the
quality of “tolerance” expressed high trust in their
mothers, although even in these cases, adolescents
only gave a moderate score (1.03) when asked about
the mothers’ ability to protect them. Additionally, the
children of mothers characterized by “skepticism” and
“submissiveness” expressed doubts about their
moth
ers’ protective ability (both had an average score
of 0.41). We believe this is due to the adolescent’s
uncertainty about whether a highly suspicious or
conformist mother would be able to take their side
when the situation requires it.
Interestingly, the children of mothers who rated
themselves highly in “dominance” scored relatively high
in trust regarding their mother's ability to protect them
(1.22), more so than other indicators. Most noteworthy
is that children of mothers who considered themselves
supe
rior to the ideal mother in “assertiveness”
expressed a high level of confidence (1.72) in their
mother's protective abilities. We interpret this result as
being associated with the trait of assertiveness, where
individuals strive to demonstrate their well-developed
characteristics and take independent positions in a
group. Indeed, when it comes to defending someone, it
often requires opposing those with different positions.
Moreover, protecting someone provides a favorable
opportunity to assert and confirm one's superiority in
the eyes of others and, first and foremost, in one’s own
perception.
Another noteworthy point is that children of mothers
who rated themselves higher than the ideal mother in
the trait of “obedience” showed high confidence (1.54)
in their mothers' ability to provide help but expressed
low confidence in their protective ability. We believe
this reflects the adolescents’ awareness that these
mothers, who constantly feel guilty and tend to be self-
deprecating, may be able to offer emotional support
and consolation, but lack the capacity for active
protection and confrontation.
The findings of our study show that when a woman
identifies traits in herself close to those of the “Ideal
Mother,” the adolescent’s attitude toward her also
differs qualitatively.
Table 2
Adolescents’ Attitudes Toward Mothers with Positive Dominance of the "Me as a
Mother" Image Over the "Ideal Mother" Image
(Based on average values)
№
Dominant Poles of
the Octants
Criteria of Attitudes Toward the Mother and Their
Distribution Indicators
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Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Research Fundamentals
Co
n
su
lt
w
it
h
h
er
I value
h
er
o
p
in
io
n
iSh
e can
b
e
tru
st
ed
I belie
v
e
sh
e
u
n
d
er
st
an
d
s
I belie
v
e
sh
e
w
il
l
h
el
p
I belie
v
e
sh
e
w
il
l
p
ro
tect
I wa
n
t
to
imi
ta
te
h
er
1 Leadership
1,98
1,83
1,79
1,85
1,78
1,81
1,23
2 Independence
1,83
1,72
1,69
1,73
1,67
1,89
1,91
3 Bluntness
1,05
1,64
1,75
1,78
1,81
1,75
1,56
4 Distrust
1,12
1,85
1,79
1,71
1,69
1,54
1,63
5 Shyness
1,01
1,13
1,45
1,79
1,75
0,83
0,75
6 Dependence
0,84
0,93
1,58
1,69
0,73
0,51
0,62
7 Cooperation
1,89
1,65
1,78
1,88
1,91
1,83
1,89
8 Responsibility
1,58
1,72
1,88
1,64
1,92
1,94
1,78
In particular, children of women who rated themselves
relatively high in leadership expressed a readiness to
consult with their mothers, take their opinions into
account, trust them, and not doubt their help and
protection.
A similar pattern can be observed among women who
rated themselves as close to their image of the ideal
woman in such traits as independence, cooperation,
informedness, and partially distrust. However, several
noteworthy observations were identified in other
octants. For instance, children of women who
described themselves as having qualities such as
bluntness, outspokenness, and sincerity evaluated the
likelihood of consulting with their mothers lower
compared to other criteria. We believe this can be
explained by the fact that individuals who are
accustomed to direct and concise expression may
sometimes create discomfort in others in certain
situations. Indeed, even in daily life, people often
refrain from seeking advice when they anticipate
hearing a harsh or overly honest opinion from their
interlocutor.
A similar situation was observed with the trait of
shyness. In our view, shyness and modesty may
prevent a person from expressing thoughts and
opinions that could be useful for someone seeking
advice due to internal conflicts. Furthermore, the
interlocutor's awareness of this trait can complicate
mutual engagement in such interactions. Likewise, in
the cases of shyness and dependence, we see that
adolescents tend not to highly evaluate the possibility
of receiving support from individuals who lack self-
confidence and heavily rely on the trust of others.
Thus, we have grounds to recognize specific
interrelations between women's self-perceptions as
mothers and the nature of adolescent children's
attitudes toward them. At the same time, it is
particularly
interesting
to
observe
significant
differences in adolescents’ overall attitudes—
based on
openness and trust
—
toward mothers whose self-
perceptions in certain traits differ from those of the
ideal mother.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the degree to which a woman’s self
-image
as a mother differs from her personal image of the ideal
mother may serve as a unique psychodiagnostic
criterion for making initial hypotheses regarding the
characteristics of adolescents’ attitudes toward their
mothers.
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