Neuroparenting : The Expert Invasion of Family Life

"This book traces the growing influence of 'neuroparenting' in British policy and politics. Neuroparenting advocates claim that all parents require training, especially in how their baby's brain develops. Taking issue with the claims that 'the first years last forever' and that infancy is a 'critical period' during which parents must strive ever harder to 'stimulate' their baby's brain just to achieve normal development, the author offers a trenchant and incisive case against the experts who claim to know best and in favour of the privacy, intimacy and autonomy which makes family life worth living. The book will be of interest to students and scholars of Sociology, Family and Intimate Life, Cultural Studies, Neuroscience, Social Policy and Child Development, as well as individuals with an interest in family policy-making. Jan Macvarish is Researcher and Lecturer at the Centre for Parenting Culture Studies, University of Kent, UK. She is the co-author of Parenting Culture Studies, (Palgrave, 2014)"- - Springer "Acknowledgements"--"Contents"--"List of Figures " -- "Chapter 1: What Is Neuroparenting?" -- "Normalising Parent Training" -- "The Requirements of Neuroparenting" -- "The Power of the Brain" -- "The Parenting Deficit" -- "Love Biologised" -- "Hiding Behind Babiesâ#x80;#x99; Brains" -- "References" -- "Chapter 2: The Claims of Neuroparenting" -- "â#x80;#x98;Killer Factsâ#x80;#x99;" -- "Two Constructions of the Brain" -- "The Wondrous Brain" -- "The Vulnerable Brain" -- " Toxic Substances" -- " Toxic Technology" -- " Toxic Environments" -- " Toxic Parents" -- " Toxic Stress" -- "Pathologising Family Life" -- "References" -- "Chapter 3: Neuroparenting and the Quest for Natural Authority" -- "Natural or Scientific Parenting?" -- "Can We Learn from Animals?" -- "Critical Periods and Windows of Opportunity" -- "Bonding and Attachment" -- "Talking and Playing" -- "Parents as a Barrier to Progress" -- "Nature and Nature" -- "The Political and Expert Colonisation of Nurture" -- "Tensions Between Determinism and Intervention" -- "The Search for Universal Rules of Behaviour" -- "References" -- "Chapter 4: Neuroparenting and the State" -- "A Cause in Search of an Argument" -- "Enter the Neuroscience" -- "Neuroparenting Entrepreneurs" -- "Popular Disseminators" -- "The Therapeutic State" -- "Are We All Dysfunctional Now?" -- "References" -- "Chapter 5: Getting Inside the Family" -- "Instrumentalising Everyday Life" -- "Sapping Parental Authority" -- "Professionalising Parenting" -- "Normalising Help-Seeking" -- "Exploiting the Transition to Parenthood" -- "New Rituals for Old" -- "Undermining Parental Love" -- "References" -- "Chapter 6: The Problem with Neuroparenting" -- "Presumed Helplessness" -- "Further Intensifying Motherhood" -- "What Becomes of the Parent?" -- "What Becomes of the Child?" -- "What Becomes of the Family?" This Book Traces The Growing Influence Of 'neuroparenting' In British Policy And Politics. Neuroparenting Advocates Claim That All Parents Require Training, Especially In How Their Baby's Brain Develops.--p. [4] Of Cover. What Is Neuroparenting? -- The Claims Of Neuroparenting -- Neuroparenting And The Quest For Natural Authority -- Neuroparenting And The State -- Getting Inside The Family -- The Problem With Neuroparenting. Jan Macvarish. Front Matter....Pages i-ix What Is Neuroparenting?....Pages 1-18 The Claims of Neuroparenting....Pages 19-40 Neuroparenting and the Quest for Natural Authority....Pages 41-59 Neuroparenting and the State....Pages 61-76 Getting Inside the Family....Pages 77-94 The Problem with Neuroparenting....Pages 95-112 Back Matter....Pages 113-116