Recent calls to include psychological theories of decisionmaking and
intention-formation in research on family formation coincide with calls for
improving research on male fertility and fatherhood. In this article we address
these notions and present findings from in-depth interviews with 30-year-old
childless men from Eastern Germany on their desire to become parents. The context
for this research is the societal situation of contemporary Eastern Germany, where
birth rates have faced a historical low - the lowest in more than 10 years. Our
innovative analytical paradigm draws on the contemporary social cognitive theory of
intention-formation. The focus lies on the examination of male attitudes, values,
motives, interests, goals, action beliefs and self-concepts, and their connection
with men’s intentions for parenthood. We compare our results with
explanations given by the Theory of Symbolic Self-Completion and the Theory of
Reasoned Action. We argue for the need to bring together psychological and
sociological theorizing in this field.
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