Handbook of Dynamics in Parent-Child Relations

"This is a truly exceptional collection of contributions on the dynamics of family relationships. The authors not only provide thoughtful state-of-the-art reviews of relevant bodies of literature and methods, but also grapple with thorny conceptual issues and present novel theoretical insights. In doing so, they demonstrate the tremendous progress in thinking about families in the past decade or two and provide guideposts for future theory and research on parent-child relationships."

- Nancy Eisenberg, Regents′ Professor of Psychology, Arizona State University

 - Robert A. Hinde, St. John′s College, Cambridge, United Kingdom

Handbook of Dynamics in Parent-Child Relations provides an innovative, interdisciplinary perspective on theory, research, and methodology of dynamic processes in parent-child relations. Edited by distinguished scholar Leon Kuczynski, this accessible volume is divided into six parts. Part I concerns dyadic processes in parent-child relationships and provides the conceptual grounding for the volume as a whole. Parts II and III examine the agency of the child and the agency of the parent, respectively. Part IV considers dynamics in the parent-child dyad as they are mediated by or impact on various lifespan, cultural, and ecological contexts. Part V addresses the methodological implications of adopting a dynamic process view of parent-child relations. Part VI weighs future directions for theory, research, and practice.

An eminent group of scholars and researchers present a comprehensive exploration of parent-child relationships that includes

• the nature of change in parent-child interactions;
• cognitive, behavior, and relational processes that govern parent-child relationships;
• what makes such interactions and relationships "work" the way they do;
• the dynamics of parent-child relations, including bidirectional influence and human agency;
• quantitative and qualitative methodology in the context of theory verification and discovery.

Handbook of Dynamics in Parent-Child Relations focuses on process rather than outcomes, bi-directional influence rather than parent effects or child effects, and parents and children as agents and actors rather than as static traits or variables. This concern with dynamics represents an emerging research perspective that complements a long-standing alternative tradition primarily concerned with the products of parenting.

Interdisciplinary in scope, Handbook of Dynamics in Parent-Child Relations will appeal to academics, professionals, graduate students, and senior-level undergraduates involved with Developmental Psychology, Family Science, Human Ecology, and Family Sociology.

Leon Kuczynski, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition at the University of Guelph, Ontario Canada. He received his Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology at the University of Toronto and did post-doctorate work at the Laboratory of Developmental Psychology, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland, prior to his current position. His research concerns processes in parent-child interactions and parent-child relationships in areas such as socialization and social development.