Domestic Intelligence

From surly teens to tough mothers-in-law, how to understand what's going on in your family.

by Dr. Terri Apter

The Hungry Mind

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “I think, at a child’s birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift should be curiosity.” Read More

Young Girls’ Body Image: Resisting Size 0

There’s too little research on how girls engage with associations of "worthy" and "thin". Read More

Midlife Women: Why Are They More Assertive?

Midlife women have long been observed to display more assertiveness and be more adventurous. What midlife research requires is a sharper focus on how we reflect on our own feelings and desires. Read More

Access to Internet Pornography: Are Parents’ Concerns Justified?

Computers with web access are part of young people’s lives, yet they also pose undefined dangers. Read More

Grandparenting: a positive face of in-law relationships

Grandparents are hard-wired to bond to grandchildren, but in-laws may come between them. Read More

Resilience in troubled teens

The teen years are fraught with problems, but new research explains what lies behind resilience. Read More

In-law conflict and troubled marriages

It's the power struggle that blights millions of marriages, but few understand this ancient conflict. Read More

The science of praise

Praise is a highly emotive interpersonal tool, and it is more difficult to use than we think. Read More

Our child’s self esteem: When should we worry?

If hard work is more important than talent, then a child's self esteem is key Read More

Why do girls engage in those terrible friendship wars?

Mothers of daughters often dread the advent of the friendship wars. "Uh oh, here it is," they often think as they see their daughter come home crying from school for the first time because another girl called her "a name". Read More

Sisters: love and rivalry

Sibling squabbles are a familiar part of family life, but the mind-shaping importance of the passionate mix of love and rivalry is often ignored. Read More

Teens and parents in conflict

"There's no point in talking to you: you don't understand me. You don't even know me."

A teen spits these words at a parent, who is hurt and outraged. How can her own child say these things? She's worked hard to know her own child, learning to read his feelings from voice and gesture, learning to place his words in the context of his day-to-day life.

Mother-Daughter Envy: Truth or Fable?

During the past month, I've been phoned several times by several different journalists keen to write a feature on mother/daughter envy. "Why are mothers envious of their daughters?" I am asked. Read More

Do Cross-Gender Friendships Always Have a Sexual Element?

Female friendships are well-known for their passionate nature. A female friend is a "soulmate," or, if the relationship turns sour, she is a "betrayer" who dashes one's faith in all friendships. But for some reason, there is a general cynicism about passionate closeness between a male and female friend. Read More

How will recession affect twixters?

At the turn of this century I studied the transition from adolescence into adulthood. Read More

Re-thinking Hansel and Gretel

I have a particular fondness for the story of Hansel and Gretel. First, there is that soul-warming image of sibling love and protection. Second, there's that feisty young girl, who scouts out every plot against her, solves every problem, and saves her brother. Third, there's that underlying justification of dislike for the step-mother which, for reasons I won't go into, strikes a chord in me. Read More

Sex Talk: how can we help our teenagers take control?

It may be that 17-year-old Bristol Palin made a decision not to use birth control when she had sex with her boyfriend. It may be that she thought using birth control was a greater sin than having sex. Read More