ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts covered in the preceding chapters of this book. The book provides a considerable body of research concerning parents and child rearing has accumulated over the past fifty years. It addresses how views about child rearing have shifted from impressions derived from unsubstantiated beliefs to conceptualizations informed by the results of scientific investigation. The book summarizes what is known about the attributes of effective parents in five arenas of influence: attachment, social learning, social interactions, teaching, and structuring of the environment. It reviews the scientific evidence with an orientation toward the changing nature of parent-child relationships. The book also addresses the effects of child-rearing practices. It focuses on individuals who mistreat their children. The book shows how changes in society have affected parenting and families. It presents the six competing conceptualizations of the nature of parents: The trait, social address, learning, microanalytic, child effects, and parental beliefs approaches.
