About the Book
Global Perspectives on Parental Acceptance and Rejection advances an understanding of the profound and lifelong effects that parental love (acceptance) and the absence of love (rejection) have on human development from childhood through to old age.
It draws from interpersonal acceptance-rejection theory (IPARTheory), an evidence-based theory of socialization and lifespan development that focuses on the pancultural effects, causes, and other correlates of interpersonal acceptance-rejection throughout the lifespan. Edited by Ronald P. Rohner and Sumbleen Ali, contributions from leading scholars show how few experiences have as wide-ranging, significant, and predictable consequences for human behavior well-being as experiences of parental acceptance and rejection. Key topics of parental acceptance-rejection include long-term effects in childhood; adult intimate relationships; early life stress; parental alienation; child maltreatment; and forgiveness and vengeance. It also discusses the clinical implications and practical applications of IPARTheory.
Providing vital information about parenting and human development worldwide, this book is essential for researchers, students, and practitioners in psychology, psychiatry, family sciences, sociology, human development, and the helping professions.
Table of Contents:
Part I. Interpersonal Acceptance-Rejection Theory (IPARTheory) and Complementary Theories 1. Interpersonal Acceptance-Rejection Theory (IPARTheory): From Conception Through Maturity 2. A Systematic Review of IPARTheory's Constructs and Measures 3. Interpersonal Acceptance-Rejection Theory (IPARTheory) and Attachment Theory 4. Interpersonal Acceptance-Rejection Theory (IPARTheory) and Affection Exchange Theory Part II. Long Term Effects of Parental Acceptance-Rejection in Childhood 5. Influence of Parental Acceptance-Rejection on Adult Intimate Relationships 6. As You Sow, So Shall You Reap: Memories of Parental Acceptance-Rejection in Childhood Predict Caregivers’ Treatment of Aging Parents 7. Developmental Correlates of Parental Acceptance-Rejection from Childhood to Adulthood in Nine Countries 8. Parental Rejection in Childhood Leads to Interpersonal Rejection Sensitivity in Adulthood 9. Gender Inconsistencies in Parental Acceptance and Rejection 10. Parental Rejection in Childhood Predicts Medical Problems in Adulthood Part III. Clinical Implications and Practical Applications of IPARTheory 11. Clinical Applications of Interpersonal Acceptance-Rejection Theory (IPARTheory) 12. Interpersonal Acceptance-Rejection and Neurobiological Development 13. Understanding the Current Status of Parental Acceptance-Rejection for LGBTQ+ Youth Across the Globe 14. From Normal to Lethal: The Continuum of Parental Denigration to Parental Alienation Appendix A. Glossary of Significant Concepts in Interpersonal Acceptance-Rejection Theory Appendix B. Measuring of Interpersonal Acceptance-Rejection and its Effects
About the Author :
Ronald P. Rohner, PhD, is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences and Director at the Rohner Center for the Study of Interpersonal Acceptance and Rejection, University of Connecticut, USA.
Sumbleen Ali, PhD, is a Research Scientist at the Rohner Center, University of Connecticut, USA, and Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Ecology at the State University of New York at Oneonta, USA.
Dedication
We dedicate this book with gratitude to those 100,000+ children and adults around the world who participated in our studies over the course of six plus decades.
We also dedicate the book to the scores of professionals and students who helped bring IPARTheory to its current level of maturity.
Review :
"Interpersonal Acceptance-Rejection Theory has been a major part of American scholarship for decades. This volume broadens the story. Authors address how this theory forces changes in numerous other areas of inquiry from attachment to health and how the theory and empirical inquiry address issues in culture around the globe. The chapter by Lansford, for example, highlights both universal developmental processes in acceptance and rejection as well as culture-specific processes. Kudos to Ron Rohner on a long career and a terrific capstone product."
Kenneth A. Dodge, Ph.D., William McDougall Professor of Public Policy and Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, U.S.A.
"This new anthology provides an accessible review and summary of the worldwide literature on acceptance and rejection across the lifespan. Since its initial incarnation six and a half decades ago, Interpersonal Acceptance-Rejection Theory has become one of the most widely embraced approaches to the assessment and interpretation of perceived acceptance and rejection in intimate relationships, with long-term implications for individual adjustment. All those seeking to understand close personal relationships will want to have this volume in their libraries."
Michael E. Lamb, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Emeritus Fellow at Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.
"It is deeply gratifying to see the rigorous, extensive coverage of Rohner’s Interpersonal Acceptance-Rejection Theory and empirical research in this excellent volume. One cannot overstate the importance of the theory, the measures and interventions that have been developed, and the research findings from around the world. This book provides an essential collection of chapters for current and future scholars, practitioners and policymakers who are striving to understand and improve people’s lives."
Kirby Deater-Deckard, Ph.D., Professor, Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst (USA).Visiting Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Turku, Finland.
"This edited volume presents comprehensive, informative chapters reviewing research across the past six and a half decades that has investigated aspects of the interpersonal acceptance-rejection theory (IPARTheory) with several hundred thousand children, adolescents, and adults in numerous countries. This volume will appeal to students, researchers, and practitioners interested in the role of significant interpersonal relationships."
Deborah L. Best, Ph.D., William L. Poteat Professor of Psychology, Emerita, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
"This growing body of research across a wide range of societies has shown how impactful interpersonal acceptance-rejection theory is for a person’s subsequent well-being throughout his or her lifespan. This edited collection brings together the key researchers on interpersonal acceptance-rejection, integrating and updating their work on this vital aspect of the human experience. It is state-of-the art!"
Michael H. Bond, Ph.D., Visiting Chair Professor of Management, Department of Management and Marketing, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong S.A.R.
"Interpersonal Acceptance-Rejection Theory (IPARTheory): From Conception Through Maturity" is a remarkable, comprehensive exploration of one of the most profound human experiences—how we perceive acceptance and rejection across our lives and relationships. Editors Ronald Rohner and Sumbleen Ali have edited a book that integrates more than six decades of cross-cultural research, shedding light on the universal psychological impact of acceptance and rejection while also honoring the cultural specificities that shape these dynamics.
In times of “mini-theories” in psychology this work stands out as a robust life-span developmental theory that bridges social, developmental, and clinical areas of psychology. The idea that acceptance and rejection in early childhood may influence a person’s later relationships and emotional health, have a long tradition in psychology dating back to Freud, Adler, Sullivan and humanistic psychology (Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow) but it is Rohner’s IPARTheory that offers a cohesive model for understanding the far-reaching effects of acceptance and rejection across cultures and life stages. This book not only illuminates the central tenets of IPARTheory but also advances the conversation around the effects of interpersonal rejection on personality and emotional health across various societies. The socio-cultural perspective is essential to IPARTheory, as it emphasizes that while people everywhere experience and react similarly to acceptance and rejection, the forms and meanings of these expressions are culturally specific.
This book integrates more than six decades of cross-cultural research, shedding light on the universal psychological impact of acceptance and rejection while also honoring the cultural specificities that shape these dynamics. The text outlines the theory in specific terms, integrates recent research but also provides practical applications, including clinical insights, making it a critical resource for clinicians and researchers alike."
Wolfgang Friedlmeier, Department of Psychology, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, Minnesota, USA. Associate Editor of Online Readings in Psychology and Culture. Secretary General of IACCP.
“This book delivers a masterful synthesis and innovative expansion of IPARTheory, powerfully affirming its empirical rigor, cross-cultural validity, and biopsychosocial significance. Far from merely consolidating decades of interdisciplinary research, this pivotal volume propels the field into new frontiers, offering captivating insights into how interpersonal acceptance and rejection profoundly shape human development across the lifespan. This volume stands as a landmark contribution, an essential and must-read resource for scholars, clinicians, and professionals committed to unravelling the profound impact of interpersonal relationships on individuals.”
Vincenzo Paolo Senese, INTERPERSONAL ACCEPTANCE, Volume 18, No. 2, pp. 3-11
