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Parent-Child Relations: An Introduction to Parenting, 10th edition

Published by Pearson (February 16, 2018) © 2019

  • Jerry J. Bigner Colorado State University, Professor Emeritus
  • Clara Gerhardt

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For parenting and parent-child relations courses.

A user-friendly introduction to the intricacies of parent-child relationships

Parent-Child Relations uses family systems and systemic family development theory as frameworks to understand the dynamics of relationships. This comprehensive resource explores the evolution of the family, the stages of family system development, and the challenges faced by all types of families. Readers will discover a broad range of issues encountered across the lifespan, preparing them for their roles as professionals working with families or as parents themselves.

The 10th Edition is extensively updated to reflect contemporary issues, including relevant new topics, 2 new chapters, and new cultural snapshots.

Effective pedagogy that illustrates the intricacies of parent-child relationships in contemporary society            
  • The family systems or systemic family development theory focus helps readers discover how the relationship between parents and children functions and how a family group strives to maintain stability over time.
  • NEW: Cultural Snapshots highlight diversity in parenting practices.
  • Family Snapshots—illustrative case studies based on systemic family development theory of multi-generational families—help readers gain a broader understanding of how the various theories found in human development and family studies are applied to parent-child relations.  
  • Frequently Asked Questions allow students to see parenting concerns through the eyes of a parent or a therapist.
  • Focus On features highlight important information and trends in the field.
  • Parenting Reflections features present hypothetical situations and issues to encourage critical thinking.
  • Learning Outcomes are echoed in the focus points within the text and are revisited in the chapter-end summaries.
A new structure and emphasis on meeting the educational requirements of students in parenting
  • The 10th edition is restructured and extensively revised, with about 80% of the material entirely rewritten.
  • REVISED: Three restructured parts highlight the context, the developmental process, and the challenges of parent−child relations.
  • NEW: Two new chapters cover family law as it pertains to parenting (Ch. 5) and family composition and dynamics as it influences parenting (Ch. 11).
  • REVISED: Current, relevant topics were incorporated or expanded to ensure that students benefit from up-to-date material: co-parenting, the effects of globalization on families, only children, military families, fragile families, interrupted parenting, parental rights and privileges, legal concerns, ethics and parenting, intergenerational families, grandparents fulfilling parental roles, diversity within families in terms of roles and function, shifts in gender and parental roles, strengths and resilience within families, and aspirations towards better outcomes.
  • NEW: About 800 current resources were incorporated in an overhauled bibliography, researched by a team of seven qualified research assistants well versed in the field.

Also available with the Enhanced Pearson eText
The Enhanced Pearson eText provides a rich, interactive learning environment designed to improve student mastery of content with the following multimedia features:

  • Embedded video links illustrate key concepts and strategies and introduce readers to relevant researchers in the field.
  • A hyperlinked glossary elaborates on concepts and phrases within the text, enabling students to quickly look up terms.
Students can experience the advantages of the Enhanced Pearson eText along with all the benefits of print for 40% to 50% less than a print bound book! Instructors, visit pearsonhighered.com/etextbooks/ted to register for your digital examination copy.
Check out the preface for a complete list of features and what’s new in this edition.
A new structure and emphasis on meeting the educational requirements of students in parenting
  • The 10th edition is restructured and extensively revised, with about 80% of the material entirely rewritten.
  • New Cultural Snapshots highlight diversity in parenting practices.
  • Three restructured parts highlight the context, the developmental process, and the challenges of parent−child relations.
  • Two new chapters cover family law as it pertains to parenting (Ch. 5) and family composition and dynamics as it influences parenting (Ch. 11).
  • Current, relevant topics were incorporated or expanded to ensure that students benefit from up-to-date material: co-parenting, the effects of globalization on families, only children, military families, fragile families, interrupted parenting, parental rights and privileges, legal concerns, ethics and parenting, intergenerational families, grandparents fulfilling parental roles, diversity within families in terms of roles and function, shifts in gender and parental roles, strengths and resilience within families, and aspirations towards better outcomes.
  • About 800 current resources were incorporated in an overhauled bibliography, researched by a team of seven qualified research assistants well versed in the field.

Also available with the Enhanced Pearson eText
The Enhanced Pearson eText provides a rich, interactive learning environment designed to improve student mastery of content with the following multimedia features:

  • Embedded video links illustrate key concepts and strategies and introduce readers to relevant researchers in the field.
  • A hyperlinked glossary elaborates on concepts and phrases within the text, enabling students to quickly look up terms.
Students can experience the advantages of the Enhanced Pearson eText along with all the benefits of print for 40% to 50% less than a print bound book! Instructors, visit pearsonhighered.com/etextbooks/ted to register for your digital examination copy.
Check out the preface for a complete list of features and what’s new in this edition.

PART I: THE CONTEXT OF PARENT-CHILD RELATIONS

  1. The Evolving Context of Parenting
  2. Approaches to Parenting
  3. Historical and Cultural Influences
  4. Theoretical Perspectives
  5. Parenting: Rights and Privileges

PART II: THE DEVELOPMENTAL PROCESS OF PARENTING

  1. The Transition to Parenthood
  2. Parenting Infants and Toddlers
  3. Parenting Preschoolers
  4. Parenting in Middle Childhood
  5. Parenting Adolescents and Teens

PART III: THE CHALLENGES OF PARENT-CHILD RELATIONS

  1. Parenting: Family Composition and Dynamics
  2. Parenting Interrupted and Fragile Families
  3. Blended and Intergenerational Family Systems
  4. Family Formation and Parenting in LGBT Contexts
  5. Towards Better Outcomes

About our authors

Dr. Clara Gerhardt, MBA, Ph.D., is professor and past chair of the Department of Human Development and Family Science at Samford University. She is a clinical psychologist and a licensed marriage and family therapist, as well as a certified family life educator. Among her many publications, she contributed several entries to the Encyclopedia of Family Studies (Wiley, 2016). She documented the history of family therapy in two book chapters. She writes a regular guest column for a publication of the National Council on Family Relations and serves as contributing editor for one of their publications.

Dr. Gerhardt has twice served as chair of a State Board of Examiners in Psychology. She teaches university courses on parenting, counseling foundations, and multicultural perspectives. As an internship supervisor she mentors child life and preschool education specialists.

Dr. Gerhardt has professionally presented on six continents, traveled to over 60 countries, and speaks five languages fluently. Her practical training is constantly updated by being a parent and a grandparent.

Jerry J. Bigner, Ph.D., was a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, CO, and retired in 2004 after 36 years of service in higher education. He taught undergraduate and graduate courses in the areas of life-span human development, parent-child relations, theories of human development and family studies, marriage and family relationships, early childhood education, and research methods in human development and family studies. He also completed all course work and practicum requirements in marriage and family therapy and worked towards licensure in this area. His text, Parent-Child Relations, is now in its 9th edition, and he published two texts in life-span human development and family studies. He is the author or co-author of over 50 research articles focusing primarily on parent-child relations as well as relationship and family therapy issues. He was Editor of the Journal of GLBT Family Studies and served on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Couple and Relationship Therapy. He was a research member of the American Family Therapy Academy and was a member of the National Council on Family Relations. Dr. Bigner was a 2005 Centennial Laureate Award recipient of the College of Human Sciences, Florida State University. He also was the 2007 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient of the College of Human Sciences, Florida State University.

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