Theoretical Approaches Towards Studying Motivation for Surrogate Motherhood

Abstract

Population increase in Russia is one of the key strategies that determine state demographic policy. Modern advancements in medical science make it possible to use various technologies that allow men and women who are unable to conceive for medical reasons to find joy in parenthood. The article discusses theories that reveal the essence and content of people’s need to reproduce and live on in future generations by means of using such technology as surrogate motherhood. The research analysis is rooted in the methodology for studying specific social phenomena based on the general theory of human activity determination developed within sociology and psychology: the role of external and internal necessity, needs in shaping the motivation for resorting to surrogate motherhood (A. Zdravomyslov, A. Merenkov). The article points out the importance of the human instinct to continue oneself in subsequent generations. The influence of needs when it comes to forming the motivation for certain human behavior is analyzed based on theoretical provisions (G. Arefiev, A. Bandura, A. Maslow, A. Leontiev) that reveal the process of conscious search for ways to satisfy different needs whenever it is possible. The emergence of medical technology allowing for the birth of a child with the help of a woman whose body, upon receiving someone else’s genetic material, is able to perform this function, forms different motives for the customer and whomever is performing such a task. P. Bourdieu’s theory of social capital helps to identify a set of economic, social, and cultural conditions that determine the content of external and internal factors that contribute to a system of interaction between these social actors. Specific motives for people having their own children are analyzed by W. Miller, D. Friedman, J. Greenberg. The research into women’s motivation for surrogate motherhood is based on works by P. Berger, T. Luckman, M. Fouquet, who studied the modern trend of using a person’s body to fulfill various needs. At the same time, the surrogate mother may develop different forms of identifying herself with the born child. The analysis of these contradictions is carried out based on conceptions of identity by M. Heidegger, E. Erickson, E. Giddens, J. Toshchenko. It is concluded that the use of different theoretical approaches to identifying the social and cultural factors which impact motivation for surrogate motherhood results in highquality empirical research that reveals the specifics of using this assisted reproductive technology in Russia.