A Relational Dialectics Approach to the Identity Development of Millennial Mothers

Download or read book A Relational Dialectics Approach to the Identity Development of Millennial Mothers written by Shawna Merrill and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This thesis uses relational dialectics theory (RDT) to make sense of the experiences of millennial mothers. RDT is a heuristic theory of relational meaning making and asserts that relationships and identities are negotiated in states of competing and contradictory discourses. This thesis can be conceptualized as two projects: autoethnography and qualitative inquiry using semi-structured interviews. Autoethnography explores the researcher’s own experience with the topic. Interview participants were asked a series of questions about their lives as millennial mothers to identify competing discourses, management strategies, and implications for identity. Three primary tensions were identified of millennial vs. mother, authenticity vs. persona, and connectedness vs. autonomy. The management strategies and identity implications fall in line with each dialectical tension. This research indicates that motherhood is a contradiction with millennial, so conclusions reveal a variety of balancing and sense-making acts to discern experiences as a millennial mother.