Parents’ Insightfulness: The Importance of Keeping the Inner World of the Child in Mind for Parenting Plan Evaluations

This chapter examines the concept of parental insightfulness and the relevance to parenting plan evaluations. Research has shown that parents form internal representations about the emotional meaning they attribute to the child and his or her behavior. Parents may not be aware of their internal representations about their children, but research has shown that parenting is greatly influenced by such beliefs. The Insightfulness Assessment is described as a semistructured interview in which parents are shown video segments of their child interacting with the parent, simulating moments from everyday life. The empirical support for this procedure is described, along with a more general discussion about how parents’ insightfulness helps them understand the motives or feelings of their children. The ability to empathetically understand the child’s needs would be relevant in assessing parenting effectiveness.