Readings in Family Theory

Thomas R. Chibucos received a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from Michigan State University in 1974. He is a Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at Bowling Green State University, where he also served as Director of the School of Family and Consumer Sciences for a decade.  Previously, he taught at Northern Illinois University in the Department of Human and Family Resources for 17 years.  At both Bowling Green and Northern Illinois, Dr. Chibucos developed and taught courses on child abuse and neglect, child and family policy, research methodology, and theory at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He is an active member of numerous professional organizations (serving, for instance, as chair of the NCFR Public Policy Committee), and his publications include Serving Children and Families Through Community-University Partnerships (Kluwer, 1999), which he co-edited with Richard M. Lerner.Randall W. Leite is Assistant Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at Bowling Green State University, where he teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in marriage and family, family stress, and family policy.  His research largely focuses on aspects of fatherhood, father-child interactions, nonresidential parenthood, and family policy issues.  He is also an affiliate of the Center for Family and Demographic Research and the Center for Policy Analysis and Public Service, both located at Bowling Green State University.  Prior to his arrival at Bowling Green, Dr. Leite spent several years in various university administrative positions.  He lives with his wife Theresa and three children, all of whom provide him on a daily basis with a greater appreciation of the meaning of family life. Daivd L. Weis received a Ph.D. in Family Studies from Purdue University in 1979. He was a Professor in the Human Development and Family Studies Program at Bowling Green State University, where he had been since 1986. He was a long-time member of NCFR and had held leadership positions in his academic department and in professional organizations.  He had taught undergraduate and graduate courses on family theory for more than two decades and was an active scholar on a number of family science and human development issues.  Tragically, Dr. Weis passed away during the development of this book.

• PrefaceAcknowledgments1. Theory: What It Is and Why It Is ImportantNotable Differences Between Everyday Life and Family ResearchExample of Theory Building and the Research ProcessDefining Family?Issues for Your ConsiderationFurther Reading2. Family Life Course TheoryThe ReadingsIssues for Your ConsiderationFurther ReadingInvoluntary celibacy: A life course analysis - Donnelly, Burgess, Anderson, Davis, & Dillard, 2001Life course transitions, the generational stake, and grandparent-grandchild relationships - Crosnoe & Elder, 20023. Life-Span Developmental TheoryThe ReadingsIssues for Your ConsiderationFurther ReadingThe influence of context, timing, and duration of riskpassage from childhood to midadulthood experiences for the - Schoon, Bynner, Joshi, Parsons, Wiggins, & Sacker (2002)Marital status continuity and change among young and midlife adults: Longitudinal effects on psychological well-being - Marks & Lambert, 19984. Social Learning TheoryThe ReadingsIssues for Your ConsiderationFurther ReadingA social learning theory model of marital violence - Mihalic & Elliott, 1997Intergenerational transmission of constructive parenting - Chen & Kaplan, 20015. Social Exchange TheoryThe ReadingsIssues for Your ConsiderationFurther ReadingCosts and rewards of children: The effects of becoming a parent on adults′ lives - Nomaguchi & Milkie, 2003Equity and social exchange in dating couples: Associations with satisfaction, commitment, and stability - Sprecher, 20016. Social Conflict TheoryThe ReadingsIssues for Your ConsiderationFurther ReadingA conflict theory of family violence - Witt, 1989Status and income as gendered resources: The case of marital power - Tichenor, 19997. Feminist TheoryThe ReadingsIssues for Your ConsiderationFurther ReadingFeminist visions for transforming families: Desire and now equality then and - Allen, 2001Do gender roles matter? Family formulation and dissolution among traditional and egalitarian men and women - Kaufman, 20008. Symbolic InteractionismThe ReadingsIssues for Your ConsiderationFurther ReadingThe symbolic origins of conflict in divorce - Hopper, 2001"They think you ain′t much of nothing": Social construction of the welfare mother"They think you ain′t nothing": The social construction of the welfare - Seccombe & Walters, 19989. Family Systems TheoryThe ReadingsIssues for Your ConsiderationFurther ReadingRelations between identity formation and family characteristics of adults - Mullis, Brailsford, & Mullis, 2003Structural family therapy - Vetere, 200110. Ecological TheoryThe ReadingsIssues for Your ConsiderationFurther ReadingBalancing employment and fatherhood: A systems perspective - Berry & Rao, 1997The social ecology of marriage and other intimate unions Getting dinosaurs to dance: Community collaborations of theory - Perkins, Ferrari, Covey, & Keith, 199611. Discussion and ConclusionsOverview of Developments in Family TheoryThoughts on Future DirectionsReferencesIndexAbout the Editors