ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the latter issue while documenting some features of parents' beliefs. The basis of parents' beliefs remains surprisingly obscure. One appealing but not widely tested hypothesis is that parents act as 'constructivists'. It is argued that parents construct and modify their beliefs on the basis of common but individual experiences. The apparent diffuse relationship between parents' satisfaction with progress and their beliefs about the stability of behaviour was confirmed by the results from the canonical correlation analysis. M. E. Pharis and M. Manosevitz compared young adults about to become parents with those who had no current intention to be parents. The suggestion is that parents construct and adhere to some beliefs for self-protection to make life with their children more bearable, or more rewarding. It is argued, therefore, that parents operate as developmental optimists. In conclusion a position of responsibility, combined with greater opportunities for observation may alter parents' cognitions about child development and of feasibility.
