This book is the product of a multi-year initiative, sponsored by the Division of Family Psychology (43) of the American Psychological Association, the Family Institute at Northwestern University, Oxford University Press and Northwestern University, to bring together the leading researchers in family psychology in five major areas of great social and health relevance - good marriage, depression, divorce and remarriage, partner violence, and families and physical health. The book embodies a series of fie systemically and developmentally informed mini-books or manuals, critically examining the exisiting research in each area and illuminating new directions for future research. The chapters in each area cover a wide range of distinct issues and diverse populations.

Through a pre-publication face-to-face two-day conference, the editors invited each of the authors in each specific domain to collaborate and co-ordinate their chapters, creating a synergy for the development of new knowledge. Additionaly, the editors encouraged the authors to step outside of their own specific research program to reflect on the unique challenges and opportunities in their research domain. The resulting book provides the next generation of theorists, researchers and therapists with an in-depth and fresh look at what has been done and what remains to be done in each area.

If you are a social scientist working in these or related areas, the book will sharpen and stimulate your research. If you are a young researcher or are contemplating entering the field of family psychology, the book lays out pathways and strategies for entering and unraveling the mysteries in each area. Lastly, if you are someone who wants to understand the state of the art research in these very relevant domains, this book takes you to the top of the mountain with the very best guides and provides a vista that compels and illuminates.