Product Description: This book assembles 11 of the leading thinkers and researchers in the field of family psychology to create a compendium summarizing both what psychology researchers have learned about the family and where the field should be going next...read more

Written for undergraduate level courses on family processes, family studies, introduction to the family, family communication, and dynamics of the family, this thoroughly class-tested new edition examines what is known about what goes on "behind closed doors" in families. Introduction to Family Processes, 4/e introduces the reader to the family processes approach--strategies and daily sequences of behavior used by family members to achieve goals. The family processes approach focuses on how families work, think, and interact; the Inner Family; and the dynamics among its members.Features of this Fourth Edition include: *Textbook and Student Workbook in one volume! Introduction to Family Processes, Fourth Edition is filled with writing activities and designed with enough space to complete the activities directly on the page. *Chapter Activities help reinforce concepts learned before moving on to the next concept. These activities are short essay responses to reinforce writing practice and critical thinking skills. *Journal Activities strengthen the students' connection to the material covered as they reflect, record, and revisit their own thoughts and opinions on guided journal exercises. *Spotlight on Research. These boxed features highlight valuable research studies. Once research is presented, students are then asked to reflect and respond. *Principle Boxes highlight specific principles relevant to chapter material and can be used as a study reference or to launch class activities/discussions. *Real families presented in case studies make the data and research come to life. *Each chapter opens with Chapter Outlines and concludes with Chapter Summary, Study Questions, and a Key Terms List.

Much academic writing on families reflects the ideal of non-involvement and distanced subject matter. Toward More Family-Centered Family Sciences suggests that the family sciences, in their effort to be scientific, have perpetuated this distance between researcher and subject, to the detriment of both. The authors argue that family and kinship ties are transcendent ties, boundary-crossing in numerous ways. They place an emphasis on family love, in contrast and in addition to romantic love, and criticize current approaches for neglecting the importance of transcendent concepts such as love, commitment, respect, and sacrifice in the development and well being of family structures. Drawing from insights both inside and outside of academia, the authors seek to reincorporate transcendent concepts into the study of the family as a unit of society. They argue for a more collaborative, family-centered family science and offer recommendations for how family researchers might work to change the scientific monologue about families to a systemic dialogue with families.

Product Description: Written by a team of experts, Exploring Family Theories, Second Edition, is a combined text/reader that integrates theory with research and applications. Presenting a diverse variety of perspectives, it offers students a unique and highly readable introduction to family theories...read more

Building upon the success of two previous bestselling editions, the Third Edition of Family Theories continues to be the ideal resource for readers wishing to develop an understanding of sophisticated ideas about families and marriages. Authors James White and David Klein have updated and revised each chapter based on readers’ suggestions and on developments in the area of family sociology and family studies. An incisive, thorough introduction to current and traditional theories of the family, this text balances the diversity and richness of a broad scope of scholarly work. New to the Third EditionStarts with a reorganized introductory chapter: The opening chapter has been restructured for increased clarity and to offer a better guide to utilizing theory to guide research and practice.Introduces a new chapter: Previous editions included seven major theoretical frameworks to explain variation in family life. The Third Edition welcomes the addition of an eighth framework on functionalist theory.Includes material on postmodernism: By placing information on postmodernism within the chapter on the feminist framework, the authors allow readers to see more clearly how these two intellectual movements relate to the study of families.Offers updates throughout: Significant additions to the “Variations” section of all chapters have been made to capture new theoretical developments.Restores several meta-theories: Deleted from the last chapter in the previous edition, several meta-theories, dealing with the type of causation, treatment of time, and the level of analysis, have been added back in this new edition.Intended AudienceThis text is designed for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses such as Family Theories, Family Systems & Theory, and Sociology of the Family in departments of family studies, sociology, and human development

Product Description: Many dimensions of family life have changed. Age at marriage has risen, arranged marriages and extended families have declined, intergenerational relationships have been altered, and contraceptive usage has become widespread. Until now, most explanations have focused on structural influences that emphasize changes in social and economic circumstances and constraints...read more

Product Description: This work constructs a Neo-functionalist theoretical framework that is built on Parsionian sociological theory with updated reflections through Neo-functionalism with a reliance on the sociological theorist, Jeffrey Alexander. The author outlines how theory is used, presents Parsons' theory of the family, critiques it, and with Neo-functionalist insights, creates the theoretical framework...read more

Product Description: Advancing Family Theories explores two contemporary theories of the family - rational choice theory and transition theory. These diametrically different approaches illuminate what differing theories reveal about families. The book also discusses how meta-theories can assist in building and refining theory and offers insight on the "understanding versus explanation" debate...read more

Product Description: This report examines current practice regarding the use of demographic indicators to define and measure the concept of the family, both in statistical and sociological terms. The study indicates that the only statistically meaningful unit for the creation of family indicators is the household, as the family remains a variable concept determined by social and political factors...read more

Product Description: This resource for social work professionals and students explores the challenges of doing research with families and the key methods used. Discussed are critical approaches to research with families, including action research, focus groups, and participant observation, with special attention paid to the vulnerable position these families are often in as clients of social services and as research subjects...read more

First published in 1997. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Intercultural Variation in Family Research and Theory sets forth 23 critical reviews in a 2-volume set that document the development of family research and theory in various societies around the world. Focusing on modern research while drawing on the historical roots of theoretical and methodological approaches employed in the study of family, this collection not only increases your knowledge about the status of family research in various countries, but also inspires cross-national research among researchers and scholars. The societies being studied have been grouped by region: Volume I contains the set’s Introduction and contributions from the Far East, the Baltic region, Australia, and South Africa. Volume II covers the Middle East, Western Europe, Scandinavia, and also includes the Index.The materials in these two volumes are the result of the charge given to scholars of 23 societies to review the development of family theory and research in their homelands. Their obligation was to provide an analytic report telling a story from their perspective of reality. The book’s editors now present some of the commonality of experiences and trends of the researchers and interpret country differences and similarities from their writings. Intercultural Variation in Family Research and Theory holds numerous suggestions for your investigations into the family field. You’ll find that the set adds to the body of knowledge on comparative family analysis and raises concerns and issues for future research. The questions anddressed in this book include:how gender of the investigator influences choice of research topicshow funding sources shape the research agendawhat influence a researcher’s career trajectory has on research topics, methods, and procedureswhy psychological and sociological frameworks and methodologies are commonly used in family researchhow political policy influences and dictates theory development and research what to do about the multitude of new questions that inevitably arise from such intercultural research (view table of contents)

Product Description: The Methods and Methodologies of Qualitative Family Research can provide you with a strong conceptual framework for undertaking qualitative research. As it explores inquiry and theory on the cutting edge, it shows how qualitative methodologies can be applied to family life, education, and research...read more

Product Description: Offering students both an understanding of what family theory is and a survey of six major theoretical frameworks developed by key social scientists to explain patterns of family life, this book is an ideal introductory textbook in family studies...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: This book examines nearly twenty instruments for measuring family functioning. The discussion for each includes a history of the instrument; an overview of the model and its conceptual framework; a description of the instrument; information on scoring, reliability and validity; sample items; a description of its sensitivity to crosscultural issues, gender, and variant family structures; a summary of studies using the instrument; and information on where to get the instrument...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

(view table of contents)