This review addresses peer group influences on adolescent smoking with a particular focus on recently published longitudinal studies that have investigated the topic. Specifically, we examine the theoretical explanations for how social influence works with respect to adolescent smoking; discuss the association between peer and adolescent smoking;…

Children face many important changes in the first eight years of life, including different learning centres, social groups, roles and expectations. Their ability to adapt to such a dynamic and evolving environment directly affects their sense of identity and status within their community over the short and long term. In particular, the key turning…

The growing social phenomenon of grandparents caring for their grandchildren has implications for educational psychology practice, since children who are wards of their grandparents frequently experience problematic school functioning. In this paper, the literature regarding children cared for by grandparents is reviewed. Issues concerning…

Many current social and political developments, such as no-fault divorce and voluntary single motherhood, have systematically eroded the father's role in American family life. In the face of these and other challenges to the traditional concept of fatherhood, an essential question is raised: Why would an American man still want to be a social…

Describes theory of broad and narrow socialization with emphasis on placing family socialization in its cultural context. In cultures characterized by broad socialization, socialization is intended to promote independence, individualism, and self-expression. Cultures with narrow socialization encourage obedience and conformity. Seven sources of…

Juvenile delinquency can be expected in capitalist societies where the lowest level workers encounter coercive control in the workplace and reproduce this in their families. Their children are the most likely to be placed in coercive school situations, encounter peer pressure to participate in delinquent behavior, and become delinquent. (IS)

The concept of reproductive strategy is applied to the study of childhood experience and interpersonal development to develop an evolutionary theory of socialization. The relationship between this theory and prevailing theories of socialization is considered, and research consistent with the evolutionary theory is reviewed. Discusses directions…

This book, designed for advanced courses on parent-child relationships, examines scientific evidence concerning parents' effect on children's development. Chapter 1, "The Development of Child-Rearing Research: From Mere Beliefs to a More Dynamic Perspective," discusses the beginnings of and current trends in child rearing research and…