Psychology of typical and atypical development

The general objective of the course is to understand changes that occur from childhood to adolescence. The course is divided into two conceptually interconnected parts. The course will analyzes the family from a systemic-relational point of view. In the first part will be introduced the "classical" family theories to arrive at the most recent theoretical contributions in the psychology of parenting and family relationships. Students will be guided in the deepening of the following topics: a) the most important theories for the understanding of parenting and family functioning; b) the evaluation of parenting and family functioning; c) the role of politics, religion, culture and ethnicity in influencing parenting, dynamics and family structures. Students will also participate in the study of clinical cases concerning dysfunctional family dynamics and at risk parenting. The monographic part of the course will deal with the theme of families made up of same-sex parents and the well-being of children who grow up in same-sex parent families. In the final part of the course a workshop will be activated on the issue of parenting, family functioning and adolescent well-being. The laboratory activities will include several activities: a) bibliographic research on the topics of parenting, family functioning and well-being in adolescence; b) on-line and paper-based administration of a battery of psychological questionnaires; c) scoring, attribution of scores and their standardization; d) construction and comment of one or more psychological profiles. Upon completion of the course the student will be able to understand the relationship between parenting, family functioning and well-being of children and adolescents. In particular, with reference to the adolescent phase, the student will have a thorough knowledge of the variables of parenting and family functioning that can promote the well-being of the children. It will also have a basic knowledge of the different models of systemic-relational therapy. The skills acquired will involve greater ability to work with parents and families. The student will also be encouraged to interact positively with the parents of the child / boy according to the different stages of development. Specifically, the deepening in adolescence will allow: a) to better understand the tasks of development in adolescence; b) a knowledge of family functioning and of the variables most able to promote individual and family well-being. The transversal skills acquired will cover the critical and judgmental abilities enhanced by participation in theoretical and practical laboratory activities. The administration of a battery of instruments on parenting, family functioning and well-being in adolescence will allow the student to verify empirically the studied psychological theories. The participation of students in the presentation and discussion of clinical cases concerning dysfunctional family dynamics and at-risk parenting will allow the student to understand the skills necessary for effective and adequate communication with parents and the different members of the family in an emotional climate function in which communication takes place, of the most common mistakes that can be made during clinical interviews. With the participation in research projects (critical analysis of bibliographic sources, administration of self-report measures, scoring and data entry) in the field of developmental psychology, the student will be better able to continue the study in a independent way and deepen the themes of the developmental psychology that he will need to study.