Parents have a pervasive and continual influence on their children's career development, beginning with early childhood and continuing as the child progresses through fantasy, exploration, tentative and trial stages of career development, and as the child responds to the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?" The child's readiness for…

In the traditional African society (TAS), the child is allowed to interact with learning materials and situations. Consequently, learning becomes relevant, meaningful, and purposeful in relation to the individual and the society. In the modern African society (MAS), education has been at best an experiment that is marked with inconsistencies in…

The belief that fathers are becoming more involved in family life has filtered into psychological accounts of child and adult development. The "emergent" view recognizes the social changes which men are undergoing and claims that men are becoming more involved domestically. Yesterday's absentee father is being replaced by a man involved…

Research relevant to planning and practice in the area of infant mental health is discussed in this paper. First, three examples of research approaches that reflect current attitudes are given. The first example represents those studies in which there is an effort to closely coordinate physiological and behavioral studies. The second example…

Focusing on the influence of cultural background on learning among black children, this book examines black culture and its effects on childrearing, play behavior, and cognition and explores the development of curricula relevant to blacks. Chapter 1 examines distinctive features of black life in the United States, emphasizing their West African…

Two lectures on the topic of self-esteem are provided. The purposes of the first lecture are to help parents and professionals better appreciate themselves as support persons and to help them develop and practice skills which will lead to building positive self-esteem both within themselves and others. Five activities are provided to further…

This manual for parents viws self-esteem as a crucial determinant of children's behavior. Section I describes what self-esteem is and the effect that it has on all parts of a child's life. Children's success in learning, human relationships, and other productive areas of their lives is seen to be limited if self-esteem is low. Section II describes…

Two papers, one on child abuse and the other on effects of preinstitutional history and institutionalization on the behavior of the retarded, are presented. In the first paper the author stresses the need to document the scope and nature of child abuse in American society and discusses the difficulties in defining where on the continuum discipline…

Maintains that it is not normal for children of 5 years and older to have tantrums in the classroom. Suggests that the child's health, the parent-child relationship, parents' marriage, teacher-student relationship, the classroom situation and other sources of stress be examined as possible causes for tantrums. (BB)

Addresses the issue of incestuous sexual abuse of children, focusing on the definition and prevalence of the problem and associated myths, immediate and longterm consequences and symptoms, and a multidisciplinary approach to prevention and treatment. (JC)

Describes a program adopted by five native Indian bands in British Columbia in which parents promote their children's early language and reading skills in the home. (FL)

Presents an overview of a developmental structuralist model based on integration of psychoanalytic and Piagetian developmental psychology. Includes discussion of patterns and insights from a clinical-descriptive intervention study of multirisk families and suggests lines for future research. (RH)

Based on the view that emotional competence is an important contributor to an individual's success, this report focuses on the critical importance of early relationships with important adults, especially parents, on an individual's level of emotional competence. The report maintains that early interactions between parent and infant affect the…

American "Baby Boomer" parents are organizing their elementary students' lives to automaticity. In the early grades, most students find this structure comfortable. Often by secondary school these parents step back, respecting their children's wishes. Here, however, the students face life and career selection with poor decision-making skills. This…

Based on the premise that birth order powerfully influences one's personality, one's marital partner, and one's parenting style, this book presents personal anecdotes, testimonials, and descriptions of well-known individuals or individuals seen in counseling to illustrate the impact of birth order. The book also presents practical ways to take…