The modern world is associated with various issues people have to handle. Some of these issues are related to interpersonal relationships, emotions, and development. Some women’s inability to find solutions to these problems makes them unhappy and unhealthy (psychologically and physically). These females fail to develop proper relationships with others (especially when it comes to creating families), which leads to the development of anxiety and depressive symptoms, which, in their turn, have adverse effects on women’s behavior and ability to form relationships (Halford & Sweeper, 2013).
The research problem of this study addresses the way inadequateness and abandonment experiences (as well as fear of abandonment) of females aged between 21 and 55 affect their decisions concerning childbearing and companionship. This research problem is important as there is a gap in the existing knowledge base since there are no links between inadequateness and abandonment and females’ major life choices. There is only some mentioning of this link, but the research lacks the necessary focus.
Addressing this research problem will be beneficial for the field of psychology as scholars and practitioners will obtain insights into people’s behavior. The field of general psychology will be enriched as people’s behavior and emotions will be explored from a new perspective. The terrain of interpersonal relationships, women’s psychological and emotional wellbeing, as well as decision making and behavior, will be explored in more detail, and new facets will be revealed.
The existing literature provides many insights into the way abandonment or inadequateness affect females’ behavior and their emotional or psychological state. It has been acknowledged that women’s views concerning their role in the world can contribute to the development of depressive symptoms, anxiety, substance abuse. It is necessary to add that existing studies often focus on vulnerable groups such as adolescents or people with disabilities or (mild or severe psychological disorders).
For instance, Shorey, Stuart, and Anderson (2014) explore the effects of inadequateness of female substance abusers. Nonetheless, non-vulnerable groups also encounter such issues as inadequateness and abandonment (or fear of abandonment). These women also need assistance as they can find it hard to continue their usual life. It is critical to explore the way females in their most active period of life (between 21 and 55 years old) are affected by abandonment and inadequateness to be able to come up with coping strategies.
Importantly, researchers tend to examine abandonment and inadequateness in the emotional terrain with no or little attention to particular aspects of life. They do not pay attention to the way these experiences affect women’s major life choices. It is possible to note that such aspects as companionship and childbearing have been in scholars’ lenses, but they are only occasionally linked to abandonment and inadequateness. Therefore, a gap in the knowledge base is apparent. The research problem is the gap associated with the understudied link between females’ inadequateness and abandonment experiences (fear of abandonment) and their choices concerning companionship and childbearing.
It is necessary to review the existing research literature on the aspects mentioned above, to obtain the necessary background for this study. It is important to understand what is already known regarding female’s experiences associated with abandonment and inadequateness as well as women’s attitudes towards companionship and childbearing. As far as inadequateness is concerned, Rutten et al. (2015) claim that it is quite common among modern females.
The researchers do not pay much attention to the reason for this trend but stress that females’ inadequateness has a considerable impact on the way these women develop relationships. The researchers also state that inadequateness also correlates with the development of anxiety and depression in females having certain psychological and emotional features. As has been mentioned above, Shorey et al. (2014) explore the effect inadequateness has on female abusers.
Researchers stress that it is a heavy burden many of these women cannot endure and develop various psychological disorders. It is noteworthy that other studies also show that inadequateness often results in the development of disorders. For example, Doron et al. (2012) found the correlation between inadequateness and the development of compulsive disorders. Abandonment is also associated with the development of depression and anxiety in women (Halford & Sweeper, 2013).
It is necessary to add that childbearing is often a subject of analysis, but researchers tend to explore the link between females’ ideas on the matter and the impact the society has on these views. For instance, Huijts, Kraaykamp, and Subramanian (2013) claim that women see childlessness less negatively if the societal norms concerning this issue are tolerant. At that, women’s experiences are not studied, which can be regarded as a significant limitation.
The proposed study will enrich the scope of existing literature by providing insights into the link between females’ abandonment and inadequateness and their choices concerning childbearing and companionship. This study can become an important milestone in the research associated with people’s behavior and emotional issues. Practitioners will also be able to develop efficient coping strategies that can help women struggling with certain issues.
References
Doron, G., Moulding, R., Nedeljkovic, M., Kyrios, M., Mikulincer, M., & Sar-El, D. (2012). Adult attachment insecurities are associated with the obsessive compulsive disorder. Psychology and psychotherapy: Theory, research and practice, 85(2), 163-178.
Halford, W., & Sweeper, S. (2013). Trajectories of adjustment to couple relationship separation. Family Process, 52(2), 228-243.
Huijts, T., Kraaykamp, G., & Subramanian, S. (2013). Childlessness and psychological well-being in context: A multilevel study on 24 European countries. European Sociological Review, 29(1), 32-47.
Rutten, E., Bachrach, N., Van Balkom, A., Braeken, J., Ouwens, M., & Bekker, M. (2015). Anxiety, depression and autonomy-connectedness: The mediating role of alexithymia and assertiveness. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice. Web.
Shorey, R., Stuart, G., & Anderson, S. (2014). Differences in early maladaptive schemas between a sample of young adult female substance abusers and a non-clinical comparison group. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 21(1), 21-28.