This book documents the experiences of rural Iowa families, who lived through the "farm crisis" years of the 1980s, in a fashion that might help families of the future cope more successfully with economic reversals. The documentation could be used to fashion more effective social policies.

Stepfamilies represent an increasing number of American households and shape the upbringing of countless stepchildren. Despite their prominence in society, our knowledge about these families is very limited. To address this deficit, the editors have drawn together the work of 16 nationally known scholars to deal with four questions:
* Marriages that create stepfamilies: Why do they occur? Fail? Succeed?
* How do stepfamilies function as child rearing environments?
* How do stepfamilies function as sources of support in later life?
* Building research and policy agendas: What is needed?
In seeking answers to these questions, the book bridges the disciplines of psychology, sociology, social psychology, child development, demography, law and policy. Readers will gain an understanding of the current knowledge about stepfamilies, obtain an appreciation of the diverse views on a variety of stepfamily issues, learn about existing and anticipated laws and policies that affect stepfamilies, and acquire ideas on needed research and policy agendas. Chapter authors are leading figures in psychology, sociology, demography, human development, and family law; their contributions are valuable to researchers, teachers, and students as well as policymakers and legislatures.

East Asian medicine, biomedical research, and health care policy are framed by their own set of moral and cultural commitments. Chief among these is the influence of Confucian ideas. A rich portrayal is offered of the implications of Confucian moral and ontological understandings for medical decision-making, human embryonic stem cell research, and health care financing. What is offered is a multifaceted insight into what distinguishes East Asian bioethical reflections. This volume opens with an exploration of the Confucian recognition of the family as an entity existing in its own right and which is not reducible to its members or their interests. As the essays in this volume show, this recognition of the family supports a notion of family autonomy that contrasts with Western individualistic accounts of proper medical decision-making.

The Economics of Divorce recognizes the critical role economic factors play during and after the divorce process. In the past, research into this issue has remained very general despite the enormous weight economics put on the entire divorce process. This book concentrates on elements specifically relevant to the economic variables of divorce. It focuses on the issues of work, employment, and financial support after divorce and how these issues affect the parents, children, and home environments of divorced families. The research presented not only provides insights into the economic aspects of divorce, but it is also invaluable to the entire study of divorce and remarriage as it explores the personal impact of these issues.Geared toward anyone working with divorced families, whether they are clinicians, educators, mediators, or attorneys, The Economics of Divorce is also of use to members of divorced or remarried families. The book contains demographics on the financial lives of custodial parents who remarry, custodial parents who work, and the financial support of college students from divorced families. It offers a close study of the realities of single parenting and reentering the work force, as well as the economic consequences of marital dissolution. The Economics of Divorce is unique in that it is the first publication of its kind to formally identify the economic results of divorcing and remarried families. It reshapes thinking on issues often taken for granted and redefines the ways in which financial issues are addressed. This book analyzes and advises readers on a number of personal and practical issues. Topics discussed include: the role of employment for women intergenerational financial support the economics of remarried families financial support for children 's college educationThe book was designed not only to address these issues but to also facilitate further research and discussion into the economic realities of divorced families. The Economics of Divorce is the first in its field to address the impact of economics on divorced families, but hopefully not the last.

Considerable social changes are underway as more women, particularly mothers, enter and remain in paid employment. The authors explore these changes (which include an increase in dual-earner families, declining fertility, and growing problems of work-life 'balance'), both comparatively and specifically in a number of European countries (Britain, France, The Netherlands, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Portugal). Original survey data, and qualitative evidence, is deployed in a series of cutting-edge chapters written by national and international experts.

Social workers need to work with fathers across many service systems, but lack guidance on how to do so, and most engagement, assessment, and intervention work for family-serving systems is mother- and child-focused. Father-inclusive readings and resources are also limited. Drawing on the expertise of well-regarded research and practice experts in the field, this comprehensive book provides guidance to social work practitioners and researchers on how to engage, assess, and serve fathers. Instructors can use the text to include fathers in courses on the human behavior and social environment, family systems, clinical practice, diversity, or service systems. Social service systems, unfortunately, have often struggled to positively engage men as parents. Recent demographic trends indicate that fathers are providing more direct care to children and single-father households are one of the most rapidly growing demographic groups in the United States. Barriers to their successful engagement include biases and assumptions about men and fathers, a lack of father-friendly policies and practices in the field, limited training on how to work with fathers, and relatively limited father-inclusive social work research until recently. This book addresses these barriers. It is a guide to social workers in their efforts to better serve men as parents, and does so from an ecological and systems perspective. Multiple case examples and practical tools are provided, as well as specific content on major social service systems. Topics explored include: Father Engagement Organizational "Father Friendly" Assessments Interventions with Fathers Setting the Course for Future Theory, Research, and Practice with Fathers Social Work Practice with Fathers: Engagement, Assessment, and Intervention is a book that could be folded into foundation courses in social work or used by practitioners in the field. It is an essential text for graduate students in social work, psychology, sociology, child development, allied health, and similar disciplines and professions, and a go-to resource for helping professionals/practitioners such as social workers, psychologists, and licensed professional counselors. Advanced undergraduate students in these disciplines and professions also will find the text useful in their studies and work.

The last two decades have seen a dramatic growth in the proportion of families headed by women. Most of these families are poor and include dependent children--causing the development of a large underprivileged class across the western world. This book explores the causes and implications of this development. Because the increase in mother-headed families is an international trend, an international perspective has been adopted. The discussion centers on selected countries where certain trends are most visible. Among the western nations particular attention is given to the United States, Sweden, and the former U.S.S.R., because of their high prevalence of mother-headed families; and trends in some countries with a middling prevalence are also discussed. Japan is included, because of its combination of advanced industrialization with a non-western tradition and a low incidence of mother-headed families. Accordingly, the book considers broad supranational influences, and proposes some explanations that draw on material from history, anthropology, sociology, psychology, women's studies, economics, literature, and religious studies.
The authors present definitive information on the incidence of mother-headed families across historical epochs and culture groups. This includes an exploration of the conditions under which such families have been many or few and have been treated well or poorly by their communities. They also offer some theoretical explanations for the increasing frequency of this family form and consider whether these interpretations fit the facts that have been gathered. Finally, there is a detailed discussion revealing what these explanations may imply for the future--that is, whether the number of mother-headed families is likely to increase, stabilize, or decrease.

This book brings together a group of scholars to share findings and insights on the effects of media on children and family. Their contributions reflect not only widely divergent political orientations and value systems, but also three distinct domains of inquiry into human motivation and behavior -- social scientific, psychodynamic (or psychoanalytical), and clinical practice. Each of these three domains is privy to important evidence and insights that need to transcend epistemological and methodological boundaries if understanding of the subject is to improve dramatically. In keeping with this notion, the editors asked the authors to go beyond a summary of findings, and lend additional distinction to the book by applying the "binoculars" of their particular perspective and offering suggestions as to the implications of their findings.
One of the goals of the conference that resulted in this book was consensus building in the area of media and family. From examining the findings and insights of a diverse group of scholars, it seems that consensus building in several areas is a distinct possibility. Addressing the concerns of educators about the influence of the mass media of communication -- entertainment programs in particular -- on children and the welfare of the nuclear family, this volume projects directions for superior programming, especially for educational television. The influence of sex and violence on children and adults is given much attention, and the development of moral judgment and sexual expectations, among other things, is explored. The critical analysis of media effects includes examination of positive contributions of the media, such as the search for missing children and exemplary educational programs.

This book presents a new approach to understanding the family unit and how and why it functions as it does. The approach focuses on the cognitions of family members and how these, in turn, shape individuals' behavior and the functioning of the family system.
The use of the cognitive-behavioral perspective in family science has gained a quick and broad acceptance among social scientists and practitioners during the past decade. One reason for its success is that the basics of the approach are easy to learn and apply. Specifically, the approach maintains that a person who believes that he or she is a failure will -- because of this cognition -- act in certain self-defeating ways and have various self-deprecating feelings.
The wide acceptance of the cognitive-behavioral approach rests on more than its simplicity: the approach has repeatedly proven itself in the laboratory and in the clinic. The knowledge readers of this volume will gain about the cognitive-behavioral approach provides them with tools that they can use to better understand not only the family interactions, but the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of individuals -- including themselves -- in the family setting.

This book examines the lives of children and young adults living in residential care systems in Zimbabwe and their unique conceptualization of family. While the importance of family for the development and wellbeing of children can't be overemphasized, the questions of what and who counts as family to orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) are under-researched. Gwenzi brings a social constructionist approach to study OVCs in institutional care as well as living with their families in Zimbabwe, finding that they do not have a single definition of family and that they use diverse characteristics to describe what family means to them. With the data suggesting a need for belonging, continuity of relationships, protection, and trust, this study makes recommendations for policy and practice with youth in alternative care in sub-Saharan Africa.

Both nationally and internationally, the south Indian state of Kerala has been an object of study for its matrilineal kinship organization among some communities, as well as its achievements in education, literacy, and life expectancy for women against a weak economic base. Nonetheless, scholars have drawn attention to a paradox in Kerala's model of development, namely women's deteriorating social position in Kerala and the rise in violence against women. Against this backdrop, this book explores the intersections of gender, sexuality, marriage, family and kinship as related to the matrilineal Nayar community in Kerala. Chapters unravel the interplay between the triple categories of gender, power and social development as they play out at the micro, meso, and macro levels of society, probing the ways in which Nayar women practice agency. Ultimately, the authors explore how the strength of the Nayar community can be used as a case study toward circumventing the prevailing gender paradox and re-imagine a more liberated, empowered and self-reliant woman not only in Kerala, but in India at large. This book will be of interest to scholars in sociology, gender studies, and development studies, particularly those with a focus on South Asia.

The existential exclusion of youths from the mainframe of the current global order is an increasingly pressing issue. Research to date has proven youths struggle to survive and be relevant within current systemic and institutional arrangements, resulting in a major existential and generational problem. One of two volumes filling a gap in the literature in understanding and responding to this grand challenge, this edited collection focuses particularly on contexts of economic, educational and governance concerns that confront youths, the complex consequences of these issues, their experience of exclusion, and sustainable pathways forward. Addressing youth issues from around the world, Youth Exclusion and Empowerment in the Contemporary Global Order engages with practical, pragmatic, intellectual and policy perspectives. Delving into the lived experiences of young people in many countries, the chapters bring together a rich collection of research from diverse methodologies. Revealing how young people appear trapped, strategically excluded, and helplessly frustrated by the supposedly supportive institutional frameworks of society, the authors tackle this question: how can young people become empowered and socially active in this context? The original materials, literature and data collated across both volumes of Youth Exclusion and Empowerment in the Contemporary Global Order, addressing policy and practice issues for youth, present a cutting edge and innovative major contribution to the field of global youth studies.

Individuals with disabilities are often "desexualized" in our society, yet they have the same need for intimacy, self-worth, and social belonging as people without disabilities. Sexuality and Disabilities addresses persons with physical, sensory, intellectual, and cognitive disabilities and their concerns in the areas of intimacy, family issues, sexuality, and sexual functioning. It offers suggestions for professionals who work with persons with these disabilities to help them work more competently with disabled persons in the sexuality arena. These concrete ideas are excellent for staff training and education and for enhancing professional development for those working with persons with physical disabilities.The contributing authors create an awareness that all people need individualized consideration and that the special needs of all individuals are important, especially for those who may have previously been left to discover things on their own--usually unsuccessfully. Sexuality and Disabilities focuses on a wide range of disabilities, including physical, developmental, and learning disabilities, mental retardation, and conditions that may have an impact on people later in life such as strokes, heart disease, or other chronic illness. Chapters discuss education and support issues for both practitioners and clients. Some of the topics examined include: components of a staff training program on sexuality and disability specific recommendations for sexuality education and counseling with people with spinal cord injuries and other acquired severe neurological disabilities a program model serving parents with mental retardation and their children specific ways educational programming, social work intervention, and policy efforts can address the special learning needs of people with cognitive impairments sources of support and stress for families caring for developmentally disabled children an analysis of special vulnerabilities and challenges relating to sexual victimization that confront people with disabilitiesAn extremely helpful tool for human service practitioners, Sexuality and Disabilities is also a valuable resource for graduate and undergraduate students who have an interest in working with people with physical, cognitive, or mental disabilities and helping them explore this basic facet of their lives.

This inspiring book focuses on the spiritual aspect of psychotherapy with couples. Spirituality and Couples demonstrates that spirituality is an important factor in both the therapy process and the healing process. Chapters provide models to help therapists and counselors incorporate various aspects of spirituality into their therapy practices. They show the importance of a conscious attention to spirituality as a means of strengthening the effectiveness of individual therapy sessions as well as overall therapy efforts. Mental health professionals will find that including spiritual factors into their therapy will increase the effectiveness of their work as it opens new channels of communication between clients and therapists.Spirituality and Couples stresses that therapy should be viewed as a process between human beings rather than the use of a set of tools by a therapist on clients. Chapters cover a variety of topics including: an interview with Virginia Satir on the importance of not removing "heart and soul" from her work by reducing it to a set of techniques the need to find a new basis for enduring, enriching relationships the relevance of Buddhist meditation for the practice of couples therapy spiritual awakening in the couple relationship the sacredness of marriage spiritual connections between two people an analysis of Virginia Satir's philosophy of treatment in terms of spirituality Mental health professionals, couples therapists, pastoral counselors, and clergy will find the information and strategies in this book interesting to read and helpful in their work.

Couples Therapy, Multiple Perspectives is a springboard from which therapists may begin to answer such questions as What are the ingredients essential to good relationships? What are the ingredients essential to activity within the psychotherapeutic relationship? How can what therapists know regarding psychotherapy be combined to create a whole greater than the sum of its parts? Barbara Jo Brothers aids therapists in answering these and other questions about the basic ingredients, the common denominators, and the universal threads of work with couples from exploring the theories and methods of successful therapists.As there are many ways of looking at couples therapy, this volume encourages therapists to work cooperatively, not competitively, in developing clients'possibilities. Couples Therapy, Multiple Perspectives is intended to assist therapists working with couples achieve a broader view of their work and a richer range of choices in helping their clients. Every article, especially the two by master therapists Florence Kaslow and Maurizio Andolfi, moves readers toward a tapestry of therapeutic possibilities.Features of Couples Therapy, Multiple Perspectives include an in-depth look at the ingredients of a successful marriage, or, what makes marriages work for the long-term by Florence Kaslow; an article by Maurizio Andolfi, translated by Vincenzo DiNicola, which brings together an excellent integration of theories, including those of Bowen, Framo, and Whitaker. Andolfi describes a transgenerational approach to work with couples in crisis, with a case example of the value of doing family-of-origin work in the initial phase of therapy. In an interview segment with Virginia Satir (with Sheldon Starr, PhD, in 1985), she explores how all good therapy has essentially the same ingredients. Readers will find Satir's ideas timeless and thought provoking; indeed they may re-evaluate their own position and theories on therapy with couples.

Black families in America face special and grave problems. Widespread unemployment, single parent circumstances, adolescent pregnancies, substance abuse, and violence are only some of the problems posing challenges. The authors, convinced that the conventional perspective used in the past to analyze black families is deficient, propose a holistic approach. That perspective takes into account the totality of black family life rather than measuring isolated factors. Using black families as the central unit of analysis, the authors identify fundamental issues requiring concentrated attention and policy changes. Both factors external to the black family and consideration internal to it are studied. The former include economic factors---racism, demographics, and governmental policies. The latter involve such aspects as black family structure, changes in the community, and widespread changes in values at the individual level. The authors provide practical recommendations for improving the conditions of black families through policy changes and revised priorities.

This informative book clarifies the complex picture of how the experience of divorce in one generation may influence the next generation s approach to and preparedness for marriage. It identifies research and clinical issues regarding the effects of the parental divorce experience on young adults'patterns of dating, attachment, and mate selection. Divorce and the Next Generation focuses primarily on young adults and the patterns and attitudes regarding intimacy and attachment that they will carry into their own adult marriages.The book contains research studies which compare differing variables of developmental achievement, personal adjustment, and attitudes of children from divorced and nondivorced families. The implications of these findings for understanding the intergenerational effect from divorce in one generation to marriage in the next are crucial as they guide professionals in their work with young adults and divorcing families in clinical and educational settings. This enlightening volume provides a foundation and a stimulus for more research into these dynamics. Divorce and the Next Generation addresses topics such as: the effects of childhood family structure and perceptions of parental marital happiness on marital and parenting aspirations differences in intimate relationships between college students from divorced and intact families a literature review of short- and long-term effects of parental divorce on children the effects of conflict and family structure on attitudes toward marriage and divorce differences in marriage role expectations between college students of divorced and intact families effects of parental divorce on children in Erikson s identity stage indirect effects of parental divorce on self-concept via changes in family environment correlates of self-esteem among college-age offspring from divorced familiesDivorce and the Next Generation is full of useful information for beginning and advanced family therapists, marital counselors, family and psychological researchers, and other professionals interested in the effects divorce has on the families involved.

Many books deal with divorce and its aftermath -- some deal with the impact of divorce on children and families, others with the legal or sociological aspects of divorce, and a few focus on divorced mothers and fathers. Most of these books are characterized by their practical orientation toward the issues and problems posed by divorce. None of these, however, have attempted to offer an integrated view of the massive amount of theoretical and research literature on divorced adults and their children. In addition, none present a comprehensive view of divorce as a psychological process within its larger social context.
Filling that void, this book:
* offers a comprehensive view of divorce as a social, interpersonal and psychological phenomenon,
* reviews the theory and research on divorce focusing on the major protagonists of the divorce drama: the mother, the father and the children, and
* introduces a social-psychological theory of divorce process.

This book considers the responses of states to migrant girls who are separated from family and enter state care systems as unaccompanied or trafficked young people. The book draws on research with girls and social work practitioners in the UK to explore what can happen when separated girls encounter professionals at borders and within care systems. It considers how separated girls adapt to different ideas of what it means to be a girl in destination countries, and how this is affected by their other intersecting identities. The book identifies how girls can feel welcomed, but also how young migrants can be seen in excluding ways. It argues that narratives of the fragile 'refugee child' are unhelpful ways to understand individual girls. Using theories and clear language relevant to both academics and practitioners, the author fills a gap in the research on migrant and trafficked young women who frequently represent the minority in care systems globally.

Recent decades have seen a growing emphasis, in a number of professional contexts, on acknowledging and acting on the views of children. This trend was given added weight by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified in 1990. Today, seeking the perspective of the child has become an essential process in all sorts of tasks, from framing new legislation to regulating professions.

This book answers the fundamental question of what it is that constitutes a 'child perspective', and how this might differ from the perspectives of children themselves. The answers to such questions have important implications for building progressive and developmental adult-child relationships. However, theoretical and empirical treatments of child perspectives and children's perspectives are very diverse and idiosyncratic, and the standard reference work has yet to be written.

Thus, this work is an attempt to fill the gap in the literature by searching for and defining key formulations of potential child perspectives within parts of the so-called 'new child paradigm'. This has been derived from childhood sociology, contextual-relational developmental psychology, interpretative humanistic psychology and developmental pedagogy. The highly experienced authors develop a comprehensive professional child perspective paradigm that integrates recent theory and empirical child research. With its clear presentation of underlying theories and suggested applications, this book illustrates a child-oriented understanding of specific relevance to both child-care and preschool educational practice.

Research on the topic of parent beliefs, or parent cognition, has increased tremendously since the original publication of this volume in 1985. For this revised second edition, the editors sought to reflect some of the new directions that research on parent cognition has taken. By offering a greater variety of topics, it gives evidence of the intellectual concerns that now engage researchers in the field and testifies to the expanding scope of their interests. Although a unique collection because it reflects the diversity that exists among major researchers in the field, it evinces a common theme -- that the ideas parents have regarding their children and themselves as parents have an impact on their actions. This emphasis on parents' ideas shifts the focus on sources of family influence to ideas or beliefs as determinants of family interactions. The implication of this way of thinking for practitioners is that it suggests the shift to ideas and thoughts from behavior and attitudes.

Roman families were infinitely diverse, but the basis of Roman civil law was the familia, a strictly-defined group consisting of a head, paterfamilias, and his descendants in the male line. Recent work on the Roman family mainly ignores the familia, in favour of examining such matters as emotional relationships within families, the practical effects of control by a paterfamilias, and demographic factors producing families which did not fit the familia-pattern. This book investigates the interrelationship between family and familia, especially how families exploited the legal rules for their own ends, and disrupted the familia, by use of emancipation (release from patria potestas) and adoption. It also traces legal responses to the effects of demographic factors, which gave increased importance to maternal connections, and to social, such as the difficulties for ex-slaves in conforming to the familia-pattern. The familia as a legal institution remained virtually unchanged; nevertheless Roman family law underwent substantial changes, to meet the needs and desires of Roman society.

This current study has emerged from two decades of the author's investigations in related areas: alcoholism and domestic relations. Its canvas is broadly comparative, drawing on interviews and data gathered in the United States and Finland. The domestic drama of "The Other Half "is played out both in the private scene of the home and the more public scene of the workplace, and against these two differing national backgrounds. Despite the many expected and perceived cultural differences between the countries, the effects of alcoholism on the family are shown to be the same.

Dr. Wiseman's study offers theoretical insights gleaned from its perspective on alcoholism as an interactive phenomenon, to which the concepts of G.H. Mead and Blumer can be applied to illuminate the carefully presented data and go beyond them. New terrain in studies of alcoholism is thereby explored, including such themes as the social construction by the subjects of their husbands' drinking, their marriage and their self-images; the strategy of coping mechanisms; and the effects of the crisis of alcoholism on gender, sex roles, and power differentials.

"The Other Half "complements Dr. Wiseman's prize-winning work on the treatment of Skid Row alcoholics, "Stations of the Lost, "while involving issues of greater complexity on both the methodological and theoretical plane.

The past decade has witnessed an explosion of interest and research on close relationships and social cognition. In both areas, numerous handbooks, textbooks, and journal articles have been published. However, it is the editors' impression that although cognitive theories and concepts have filtered through to research dealing with close relationships, much of this research reflects a relatively untutored understanding of the theoretical and empirical work in social cognition. Conversely, the research literature that provides a more sophisticated perspective on the role of cognition in close relationships typically reveals a relatively limited knowledge of the literature on close relationships. As researchers who have worked in both social cognitive processes and close relationships, Fletcher and Fincham are convinced that each field has much to offer the other. In fact, their book is based on two important postulates: first, that a social cognitive framework offers a valuable resource for developing our understanding of close relationships; and, second, that studying cognition within close relationships has the potential to inform our understanding of basic social cognitive processes.