Review of the points of view of domestic and foreign researchers on the psychological characteristics of a person choosing an alternative path to parenthood

The purpose of the study is to conduct a theoretical analysis of the works of foreign and domestic authors examining the psychological aspect of individual choices regarding alternative paths to parenthood. Research methods and organization. Methods of analysis and synthesis of scientific literature on the research topic have been applied. The material has been grouped, including results of empirical and theoretical studies and observations regarding certain psychological characteristics of candidates for substitute parents, childless individuals, as well as researchers' approaches to studying the problem. Research results and conclusions. The differences in perspectives regarding the choice of approach to studying the issue of alternative parenthood have been highlighted. The possible influence of worldview, identity, personal reproductive beliefs, and individual meanings, shaped or adjusted by the effects of various ideologies, on both the choice of approach to framing the issue and its study by researchers, as well as on the choice of how an individual becomes a parent, has been described.