Motherhood and the Construction of “Mommy Identity”: Messages about Motherhood and Face Negotiation

This study examined women's attitudes about motherhood by utilizing the concept of “face” (Goffman, 1967 Goffman , E. ( 1967 ). On face-work . Garden City , NY : Anchor Books . [Google Scholar]) and the role memorable messages play in the construction of women's identities as mothers. Results suggested that women could recall messages from a variety of sources, including family members and other mothers. Participants generally reported that they did not seek to maintain a “good mother face” for others, yet when asked to provide reasons why they engaged in facework behaviors, they provided a variety of reasons such as acceptance and approval.