Parenting in the Zombie Apocalypse

Parenting is difficult under the best of circumstances—but extremely daunting when humanity faces cataclysmic annihilation. When the dead rise, hardship, violence and the ever-present threat of flesh-eating zombies will adversely affect parents and children alike. Depending on their age, children will have little chance of surviving a single encounter with the undead, let alone the unending peril of the Zombie Apocalypse. The key to their survival—and thus the survival of the species—will be the caregiving they receive. Drawing on psychological theory and real-world research on developmental status, grief, trauma, mental illness, and child-rearing in stressful environments, this book critically examines factors influencing parenting, and the likely outcomes of different caregiving techniques in the hypothetical landscape of the living dead.

Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

Steven J. Kirsh is a professor of psychology at the State University of New York at Geneseo. He teaches courses on child development, introductory psychology, media psychology, and research methods. He has penned two academic books in the field of developmental media psychology and coauthored a third textbook on applied psychology.

Steven J. Kirsh

Series Editor Kyle William Bishop

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 271
Bibliographic Info: notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2019
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7388-2
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3653-5
Imprint: McFarland
Series: Contributions to Zombie Studies

Preface 1
Introduction 5

Section One: On Zombies 9
1. Welcome to the Zombie Apocalypse 9
2. A Zombie Primer 24

Section Two: The Nature of Childhood and Parenting 41
3. The Destruction of Childhood 41
4. Maternal and Infant Mortality 58
5. Why Parent? 76

Section Three: The Determinants of Parenting 95
6. Characteristics of the Parent 95
7. Characteristics of the Child 115
8. Contextual Sources of Stress and Support 136

Section Four: ­Parent-Child Relationships 155
9. Attachment 155
10. Parenting Styles 175

Section Five: Moving Past the Horror 195
11. Parenting and Grief 195
12. ­Post-Apocalyptic Resilience 215

Chapter Notes 235
Bibliography 245
Index 257