Parental acceptance-rejection theory

Parental acceptance-rejection theory (PARTheory) is an evidence-based theory of socialization and lifespan development that attempts to predict and explain major causes, consequences, and other correlations of interpersonal—especially parental--acceptance and rejection in the United States and Worldwide."
“Parental acceptance-rejection theory research developed in response to claims by Western social scientists that parental love is essential to the healthy social and emotional development of children. After more than over two thousand studies, one clear conclusion developed: Children everywhere need a specific form of positive response--acceptance--from parents and other attachment figures. When this need is not met satisfactorily, children worldwide--regardless in variations of culture, gender, age, ethnicity, or other such defining conditions--tend to report themselves to be hostile and aggressive; dependent or defensively independent, over impaired in self-esteem and self-adequacy; emotionally unresponsive; emotionally unstable; and to have a negative worldview, among other responses." Youths and adults who perceive themselves to be rejected appear to be anxious and insecure, as well as disposed toward behavior problems and conduct disorders, among other problems.
Research of parental acceptance-rejection dates back to the 1890s, however, during the 1930s the effects of parental acceptance-rejection began to appear in research. Several theorists have contributed to the development of parental acceptance-rejection research, for example in the 1930s and 1940s the Fels Research Institute was responsible for early research papers regarding acceptance-rejection studies. Also, during the 1930s and 1940s the Smith College Studies in Social Work collected research on the effects of parental acceptance-rejection. The most noteworthy research using the Children's Report of Parental Behavior Inventory was conducted in the 1950s and 1960s by Schaefer and associates. The research that ultimately led to the construction of the parental acceptance-rejection theory was Rohner's research program which examined psychological traditions and cross-cultural comparative research.
The parental acceptance-rejection theory consists of parental acceptance and rejection and together the two dimensions form "the warmth dimension of parenting". The warmth dimension of parenting is considered an individual's experience with love from a primary caregiver. Parental acceptance is at one end of the continuum and parental rejection is at the opposite end. The experience of love, care , and comfort that an individual can experience from a parent can be described as parental acceptance. However, the absence or lack of love, care , or comfort by a parental figure is known as parental rejection. Parental rejection can also be described with the presence of hurtful feelings and behaviors towards the child or individual caused by the parent. Several combinations of expressions can be a cause of parental rejection such as: "cold and unaffectionate, hostile and aggressive, indifferent and neglecting, and undifferentiated rejecting."
This theory answers five classes of questions which are divided into three subtheories. These subtheories are: personality sub theory, coping sub theory, and sociocultural systems sub theory. The personality sub theory assumes that all individuals have a need for positive responses throughout their lives. A positive response refers to a wish, desire, or yearning. The need for positive responses only increase as individuals grow into adulthood. The personality sub theory focuses on the effects of parental acceptance and rejection in order to explain personality and psychological characteristics. According to the personality sub theory, individuals that are rejected by parental figures can become not only dependent but also highly independent.
According to Rhoner, the coping sub theory asks the question: "how some rejected individuals appear to be able to withstand the corrosive drizzle of day-to-day rejection without suffering the negative mental health consequences that most rejected individuals do." The coping sub theory has three major elements: self, other, and context; all elements help individuals understand the coping process. The self includes the individual's internal and external characteristics. The other refers to the personal characteristics of the person who is rejecting and the rejection itself. Other people that are important to the individual and their environment are considered the context. Sociocultural systems sub theory attempts to process the meanings and consequences behind parental acceptance and rejection in cultures worldwide. For instance acceptance and rejection is displayed in several difference social systems, such as family, economic, and political organizations.

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