Mattering as a Core Need in Children and Adolescents

Gordon L. Flett, PhD is professor in the department of psychology at York University in Toronto, Canada. He is the global academic leader in the field of mattering, having published some 40 publications on the topic, including a special issue on mattering that appeared in the Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment (2022) and was the first to appear in any journal. He is an associate editor of Canadian Psychology journal and the former director of the LaMarsh Centre for Child and Youth Research. Dr. Flett is also internationally recognized for his seminal contributions to research and theory on the role of perfectionism in pathology. He is the author, with Paul L. Hewitt, of Perfectionism in Childhood and Adolescence: A Developmental Approach (2022), published by APA Books. His other research interests include the nature and correlates of suicidality in the elderly. Dr. Flett is a fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, which has cited him as one of the top 25 most productive authors in psychology. His work on mattering has been featured in the New York Times and has been the topic of interviews in Scientific American and the Wall Street Journal. 

Introduction
PART I. MATTERING: A COMPLEX CONSTRUCT
Chapter 1. Mattering as a Core Feeling and a Core Need in Children’s Lives
Chapter 2. Description and Conceptualization of Mattering
Chapter 3. The Role of Mattering in Positive Youth Development

PART II. MEASURING AND INTERPRETING CHILDREN WHO FEEL LIKE THEY DON’T MATTER
Chapter 4. The Prevalence of Feelings of Not Mattering Among Youth: Documenting An Epidemic In Children and Adolescents
Chapter 5. Understanding Children Who Feel Unheard, Unseen, and Unimportant
Chapter 6. The Assessment of Mattering: Issues and Measures

PART III. THE DEVELOPMENT OF MATTERING AS A RESOURCE IN THE LIVES OF YOUTH
Chapter 7. Developmental Aspects of Mattering
Chapter 8. Mattering in Youth Happiness, Well-Being, Well-Doing, and Flourishing
Chapter 9. Mattering, Resilience, and Adaptability
Chapter 10. Social Media Use and the Need to Matter

PART IV. CLINICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Chapter 11. Mattering and Anti-Mattering in Youth Addiction and Substance Use
Chapter 12. The Need to Matter in Youth Delinquency, Aggression, and Violence
Chapter 13. Mattering and Depression in Youth
Chapter 14. Suicide in Youth and the Pain of Feeling Unimportant and Insignificant

PART V. PUTTING MATTERING INTO ACTION IN KEY CONTEXTS
Chapter 15. Growing Up With the Feeling of Mattering:
Summary and Suggestions

References
Index
About the Author