The Oxford Handbook of Parenting and Moral Development

The Oxford Handbook of Parenting and Moral Development provides a collection of state-of-the-art theories and research on the role that parents play in moral development. Contributors who are leaders in their fields take a comprehensive, yet nuanced approach to considering the complex links between parenting and moral development.

The volume begins by providing an overview of traditional and contemporary perspectives on parenting and moral development, including perspectives related to parenting styles, domain theory, attachment theory, and evolutionary theory. In addition, there are several chapters that explore the genetic and biological influences related to parenting and moral development. The second section of the volume explores cultural and religious approaches to parenting and moral development and contributes examples of contemporary research with diverse populations such as Muslim cultures and US Latino/as. The last major section of the volume examines recent developments and approaches to parenting, including chapters on topics such as helicopter parenting, proactive parenting, parent-child conversations and disclosure, parental discipline, and other parenting practices designed to inhibit children's antisocial and aggressive behaviors. The volume draws together the most important work in the field; it is essential reading for anyone interested in parenting and moral development.

Deborah J. Laible is Professor of Psychology at Lehigh University and an expert on children's emotional and moral socialization. Although Dr. Laible's research interests focus broadly on children's development of social, emotional, and moral competence, her focus is on the role of parent-child communication in fostering moral and emotional competence. Dr. Laible has published her research in several top developmental psychology journals, including Child Development and Developmental Psychology and has received grants from the Timberlawn Foundation, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the Templeton Foundation.

Gustavo Carlo is Millsap Professor of Diversity and Multicultural Studies at the University of Missouri. His main research interest is in culture, family, and personality correlates of prosocial and moral behaviors in children and adolescents. Dr. Carlo has authored numerous journal articles, received grants from a variety of agencies such as the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, and co-edited several volumes. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Division 7) and the American Psychological Society.

Laura M. Padilla-Walker is Professor in the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University. Her research focuses on how parents and media help to foster prosocial and moral development during adolescence. Dr. Padilla-Walker has published over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and co-edited two volumes with Oxford University Press, Prosocial Development: A Multidimensional Approach and Flourishing in Emerging Adulthood: Positive Development During the Third Decade of Life.