Abstract

1,132 Korean mothers in urban areas with educational level higher than elementary school were asked to make responses to a questionnaire composed of 44 items. The items selected for the purpose were those which are known to be of significance in influencing personality development. Thus, they were related to child rearing attitude of mothers to such behavior system of child as oral, anal, sexual, dependence, aggression. The relations between mothers and children were checked, based on the concept of "basic trust" in the sense of E.H. Erikson. Asked also were such factors as preference of mothers for sons or daughters, reward, punishment, ways of satisfying curiosity of children, attitude of mothers in keeping promises with their children, disciplining, training, etc. A brief resume of the result is as the following: About 75% of the responded prefer sons to daughters, whereas only about 5% of them prefer the later to the former, suggesting the possibility that daughters might be reared less attentively. Only 27.7% of the college-graduated mothers responded to have read frequently the books about child rearing. 41.5% of the total responded said that they were influenced by their parents in rearing their children. Duration of breast-feeding ranges from 6 months to over three years, showing that mothers with elementary school education have Mo in 3 years, those with high school in 16~18 months, and those with college education in 10~12 months. 27.8 % of the 1,132 mothers responded to have used bitter or hot things as the method of weaning, suggesting that weaning might have been abrupt and radical. About 30% of the total responded took no measures to their children when these soiled even after grown to be without diapers, showing that toilet training is mild. Socialization of children starts earlier when mothers' educational level is higher. About 70% of the total responded said that they feel children to be burdensome sometimes. Mothers with higher educational level frequent hospitals when children are sick, while those with lower have tendency to seek drug stores. Considerable number of mothers responded to prefer certain members of their children. 52.8% of the total responded said that their children show no emotional uneasiness when mothers are out of sight. About 60% of the total responded explain their children that they were delivered by the mother, when they were asked about the matter by children. Toys most frequently to be found at home are bicycle, automobile, boat, airplane, gun and sword for boys, and doll and cooking utensils for girls. The most enthusiastically praised behaviors of children are when these make good school achievements and when these are obedient. 23.0% of the total responded said that they keep their promises to children without fail. About 60% of the total responded are relatively sincere and correct in satisfying the curiosities of their children. To the item "please state what you think your children must learn," the most frequent responses were manners, independence, sense of responsibility, orderly life, cleanness. (The data collected are more than in this resume, since many items required free responses to the subjects. For those interested in this study, details in English will be forwarded after request)