Aspects of consciousness in child rearing

Abstract

Child rearing was examined from the viewpoint of human consciousness. The humanistic conception of man served as the underlying basis of the study. The study was divided into two parts. The first part gave a theoretical clarification of parents' child rearing by explaining child rearing as social and intentional activity. In this part several central concepts were analysed and a characterization of the nature of human consciousness was made by approaching the theme from different viewpoints (the model of practical syllogism, world view, values, conception of man). The phenomenon of self-consciousness was seen as a fundamental concept. In the second part of the study the content and structure of consciousness was examined empirically. The subjects of the study were Finnish mothers with a child in the first grade of comprehensive school. The semi-structured interview was used as the method of data collection. The results showed the qualititative differences in- the mothers' thinking. On the basis of these differences it was possible to carry out the constructions of various levels of consciousness. At the most developed level the subjects were able to produce reason-type arguments, their conceptions of child rearing were of the counselling-type, they had clear conceptions of child development and they possessed coherent views of values, of man and of the deeper meaning of human life.