Family Theories

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.

The authors begin with a discussion of the purpose of theory and trace the history of theoretical explanations of the family. They then go on to present the six theoretical frameworks: exchange-utilitarian, symbolic-interaction, family developmental, systems, conflict and ecological. Each theory is systematically explored through its historical perspective, basic assumptions, core concepts, variations, empirical applications, implications for intervention, and a critique of its weaknesses. Concluding with a typology for analyzing and comparing the six theories, the authors provide directions for future theory development.

David M. Klein is Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Notre Dame. His current research is on relationship formation, assessment, and dissolution. He co-edited the Sourcebook of Family Theory and Research, and has served as Chair and Archivist of the Theory Construction and Research Methodology Workshop. He also has been Treasurer of the National Council on Family Relations, and Chair of its Research and Theory Section.

James M. White is a Professor in the School of Social Work and Family Studies at the University of British Columbia and resides with his wife and three daughters in Vancouver, Canada. His research interests include family development as well as marital interaction and communication. He is the author of Dynamics of Family Development (published in the U.S. in 1991 and translated into Japanese in 1994), as well as numerous articles that have appeared in the Journal of Family Issues, Journal of Social & Personal Relationships, Journal of Marriage and Family, and elsewhere. His authored and co-authored book chapters include a chapter with R. H. Rodgers on family development in the Sourcebook of Family Theories & Methods (1993). He has served as referee for numerous journals in family relations and public health and is an Associate Editor for the Canadian Journal of Public Health, Journal of Comparative Family Studies, and The International Encyclopedia of Family Relationships. He is a past-president of the Northwest Council on Family Relations, whose membership includes academics, practitioners, and therapists from the states and provinces of the Pacific Northwest.