Az önkéntes gyermektelenség pszichológiája: szakirodalmi áttekintés

This theoretical study summarizes the results of major research papers on psychological and sociological aspects of voluntary childlessness with respect to both international and domestic circumstances. To this end, I mainly looked at studies available in English-language databases using a systematic keyword search method, but I also relied on the Hungarian literature. This topic is one of the important and diverse elements of social change today, however it is a peripheral phenomenon. It is scarcely present in Hungarian scientific literature, while in international literature it is very mosaic - there are great time and spatial differences between the publication of each related study. For this reason, one purpose of this paper is to take a more uniform approach to these issues, and summarize knowledge not only on the topic itself, but also on the present situation of the research of this topic. A clear conclusion derived from the literature seems to be that the decidedly childless form a special group within childless individuals, one without homogeneity, yet they could be distinctly differentiated from others due to some specific psychological and socio-demographic characteristics they do share. However, it is difficult to set up categories within this group, and even opinions on the exact conceptual background are divided. It can also be said that in Hungary the research of the phenomenon is in its infancy - Hungarian authors have so far primarily studied the phenomenon using a sociological or demographic approach. The small number of research aimed at revealing the psychological cause-effect mechanisms and the fragmentation of their results also make it difficult to derive conclusions about the personality and developmental psychological aspects of the subject. The examination of the possibilities of accepting choices of childlessness as alternative lifestyles instead of interpretations as deviance within pronatalist societies and exploring the possibilities of abolishing stigmas are less-researched, although some studies raise the need for such actions. Overall, the main goal of the study is to present the above-described outcomes and for further psychological research related to this topic.