A Perspective on Parenting Attitudes in the Context of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: Examination of Two Works from the Field

Since the dawn of the humanity, individuals have endeavored to pursue happy and avoid suffering. Despite exploring various paths to achieve these aims, they often find themselves back where they started. The aim of this study was to investigate parental attitudes based on the book “The Joy of Parenting: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Guide to Effective Parenting in the Early Years”, written within the framework of acceptance and commitment. The research employed the document analysis method, a qualitative research technique. It is stated that parental attitudes profoundly influence children and that such attitudes, learned within the family context, mold individuals throughout their lives. Although acceptance-commitment therapy, which is based on many schools of thought, attracts attention among current therapies, there remains a notable dearth of literature on its application to parenting, with limited studies dedicated to this intersection. The study reviewed parenting insights drawn from various sources and theoretical frameworks within the acceptance and commitment paradigm. Findings from literature and the book were synthesized, and subsequent discussions incorporated data from related studies. In the light of the data obtained, it was observed that undesirable parental attitudes were associated with psychological rigidity and desired parental attitudes were associated with psychological flexibility.