Positive Relationships: Evidence Based Practice across the World

312 Pages·2012·1.22 MB·English

by  Sue Roffey (auth.)

Positive Relationships

Sue Roffey
Editor
Positive Relationships
Evidence Based Practice across the World
Editor
Sue Roffey
School of Education
University of Western Sydney
Sydney, Australia
Department of Clinical,
Educational and Health Psychology
University College
London, UK
[email protected]
ISBN 978-94-007-2146-3 e-ISBN 978-94-007-2147-0
DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-2147-0
Springer Dordrecht Heidelberg London New York
Library of Congress Control Number: 2011938235
© Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2012
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For Dz – of course.

Foreword
The past decade has seen a seismic shift within psychology and allied sciences
towards an increasing emphasis on what makes life go well. Positive Psychology
has played a central role in rebalancing the previous obsession with problems,
pathology and dysfunction. The happiness and wellbeing of individuals has been at
the core of this new science, and we have learned much about the value of positive
emotions, the characteristics of happy people, and ways to promote individual hap-
piness and wellbeing. However, the foundation of what makes lives go well is not
the individual, but the quality of our relationships – the development of trust, the
giving and receiving of love and support, and the myriad ways in which relation-
ships can be life enhancing.
In this seminal book, Sue Roffey and a team of international experts move beyond
a focus on the individual, putting relationships at the heart of life going well. In
doing so, this book follows a fi ne tradition which goes back to Darwin, who recog-
nised that the extraordinary complexity of human behaviour, including thinking,
language, the diversity and subtlety of emotions, and our ability to envisage the
future, are all derived from our evolution as social animals, and are manifestations
of our social brain. Neuroscience has shown that the human brain has evolved the
capacity to sense what other people are thinking and feeling. It is ‘mirror’ cells in
the human brain that are activated when we feel empathy or compassion allowing us
to share another persons joy or pain. Other brain regions have become specialised to
allow us to ‘mind read’ or understand what other people are thinking, hoping and
planning. Social relationships have not only shaped human evolution, but they play
a profoundly important role in human development. From the moment of birth (and
even in utero), children enter a world of relationships to which they respond and
through which they learn to navigate. Research has shown that the quality of these
early relationships can have lifelong effects on mental health, cognitive capability,
lifestyle behaviours and, of course, later relationships. But formative as these early
years are, research has also shown that they are not deterministic, and later social
infl uences can alter these trajectories for better or for worse.
The rich variety and depth of the research presented in the 17 chapters of this
book explores both what is known about the development of positive relationships,
vii
viii Foreword
and the wide range of approaches which have been employed to enhance the quality
of relationships. Recognising the fundamental importance of the type and quality of
our early relationships, many chapters are devoted to relationships with family.
Effective parenting and positive parent-child interactions are dynamic processes
requiring constant adaptation as the child develops through infancy and the primary
years to adolescence and young adulthood. The dynamics of this process and the
skills required for positive relationships at each stage are clearly described in this
volume. The brilliant body of research by John Gottman on couples and the quali-
ties associated with positive couple relationships is described, and this volume also
considers what happens for children when a couple’s relationship breaks down
beyond repair. We learn about the importance of listening to children’s voices and
maximising their wellbeing in the context of family breakdown, and ways in which
this can be achieved. The seminal role of the child-teacher relationship and the qual-
ity of relationships with peers, particularly the nature of friendship are addressed in
depth. An understanding is provided both of what makes for positive relationships
in this context and a critical evaluation of approaches employed to improve such
relationships. Strong evidence is presented for the importance of a whole school
approach to relationship quality and its impact on learning and wellbeing.
A good deal of attention is given to inter-personal relationships in the workplace
where a growing body of evidence shows that positive relationships can improve
productivity and fi nancial success. However, positive relationships at work are of
value in their own right quite apart from benefi ts to the ‘bottom line’. Positive rela-
tionships at work can in turn feed into more positive relationships with family,
friends and community members. Much has been written about the importance of
leadership in the workplace, and it is now recognised that the ability to foster posi-
tive relationships is at the heart of good leadership. Inspiration and innovation are
not enough – true leaders also need emotional and social intelligence to engage
workers in co-creating their vision. Mentorship is widely regarded as a valuable
function in the workplace, although there can be wide variations in style and quality.
The role of professional consultants is also at heart a relational matter, and we need
a better understanding of the factors which make consultations more effective.
These and numerous other facets of positive relationships in the workplace are
engagingly and insightfully explored in this volume.
The book goes beyond inter-personal relationships to investigate positive com-
munity relationships, which is an area of positive psychology much in need of
further development. Schools, workplaces and other organisations are analysed at the
level of communities, and innovative approaches to enhancing positive community
relationships are presented. A particular strength of the book is the cultural aware-
ness that it brings to all the topics covered, including a variety of approaches to
building positive community relationships where there are major differences in
ethnicity, culture or beliefs. Building harmonious and peaceful relationships in families,
institutions and communities is eloquently addressed in a number of chapters,
including the idea of healthy confl ict and the power of restorative justice to strengthen
understanding, relationships and wellbeing.
Foreword ix
As the book’s editor, Sue Roffey has created a fi rst rate, comprehensive account
of the wealth of relationships which impinge on our daily lives, characterising their
positive attributes across a wide range of life stages and contexts, and providing
valuable information about how to make relationships more positive. I have learned
a great deal from this informative volume on evidence-based practice and the
enhancement of positive relationships. I believe it will have a lasting impact on the
fi eld of positive psychology, and encourage further research, theorising and applica-
tion, which goes beyond the individual to the multitude of ways we can be positively
connected with others.
Professor Felicia A. Huppert
Director of the Well-being Institute
University of Cambridge