Parental Development

This volume seeks to identify and define the parameters of a relatively new problem area -- parental development. Drawing on the grand developmental theories of Sigmund Freud, Lawrence Kohlberg, Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, Heinz Werner, and their descendants, this book has the potential to generate an area of common concern for those interested in either child/adolescent or adult development through the novel application of developmental principles and considerations to the ecological context of parenting. To that end, this volume brings together theory and research from the subfields of adult and child/adolescent development. Chapter authors place the problem area of parental development in theoretical context and examine selected psychological part-processes implicated by focusing on cognitive and psychosocial development. The authors then deal with a range of issues that are perhaps less traditional and/or more in line with the complex character of everyday life. That is, they utilize either relatively novel comparison groups or treat parents at later stages of development rather than those in young adulthood as is often the case. Finally, the authors uncover both similarities and differences among their theoretical perspectives with an eye toward delineating some possible future research directions.

Jack Demick, Krisanne Bursik, Rosemarie DiBiase

Contents: Preface. J. Demick, K. Bursik, R. DiBiase, Introduction. Part I: Parental Development in Context: Theory.S. Wapner, Parental Development: A Holistic, Developmental Systems-Oriented Perspective. C.J. Palus, Transformative Experiences of Adulthood: A New Look at the Seasons of Life. Part II: Cognitive Development in Parenthood.D.A. Harkins, Parental Goals and Styles of Storytelling. M.S-C. Lam, S.I. Powers, G.G. Noam, S.T. Hauser, A.M. Jacobson, Parental Moral Stage and Adolescent Moral Development. Part III: Psychosocial Development in Parenthood.J. Stevens-Long, S. Macdonald, Empathy, Cognitive Generativity, and Parenting. M.T. Miliora, Development of the Capacity for Empathy: A Case for Healthy Parenting. D.T. Roelke, Essential Relationships: The Shared Worlds of Friendship. M.J. Solomon, Transmission of Cultural Goals: Social Network Influences on Infant Socialization. Part IV: Some Variations on Parental Development.P.M. Miller, Mothers' and Strangers' Behavior With Infants. J. Demick, Adaptation of Marital Couples to Open Versus Closed Adoption: A Preliminary Investigation. M.P. Farrell, S.D. Rosenberg, H.J. Rosenberg, Changing Texts of Male Identity From Early to Late Middle Age: On the Emergent Prominence of Fatherhood. M.H. Silver, Balancing "Caring and Being Cared For" in Old Age: The Development of Mutual Parenting. Part V: Directions for Future Research.J. Demick, Parental Development: Future Research Directions.