Family Matters

“Nothing may matter more for the healthy development of young people than a belief that they matter: that they are valued by others and that they can make meaningful contributions to their world. More so than any other book, Family Matters explains the crucial role of mattering in the lives of adolescents. Gregory Elliott’s unique, timely, and compelling scholarship has vital implications for research and applications aimed at promoting positive youth development, and is of profound importance for enhancing the quality of family life in America.”–Richard Lerner, Bergstrom Chair in Applied Developmental Science, Director of Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development, Eliot Pearson Department of Child Development, Tufts University

“This thoughtful and entertaining book introduces an important new concept to the psychology of interpersonal relations. People need to eat and sleep, to love, and to belong, but they also need to matter to others. Drawing from popular culture, personal experience, and scientific research, Gregory Elliott has provided a marvelous introduction to understanding why mattering matters.”–Roy F. Baumeister, Social Psychology Area Director and Francis Eppes Eminent Scholar, Florida State University, and author of The Cultural Animal

“Elliott has given us a very important and timely book. Today’s youth are in tremendous need of the opportunity to feel like they matter. Elliott’s analyses demonstrate the importance of feeling like one matters to one’s family for healthy functioning during adolescence. He also provides us with a stimulating theoretical discussion of the importance of mattering and the ways in which it is supported by social experience. This book should be of great interest to parents, educators, policy makers, and researchers.”–Jacquelynne Eccles, McKeachie Collegiate Professor of Psychology, Women’s Studies, and Education, University of Michigan