Using a family systems and a multigenerational, developmental framework, this text highlights the challenges faced by contemporary families as they move through time. It offers a comprehensive overview of the major conceptual models that are used to understand the patterns and dynamics that operate in families. It provides readers with an overview of the basic tasks that all families must execute regardless of their particular composition or living situation and, at the same time, offers readers an appreciation of the variety and uniqueness in how each family develops its patterns of interaction.

All families must develop a shared sense of identity, create a nurturing emotional environment, manage resources, deal with stress, and negotiate successful boundaries between individual members and with the outside world. Yet it is the uniqueness of each family, its structural organization, and its particular cultural, ethnic, racial heritage, and gender orientation that will influence the strategies that evolve to meet these challenges. This book offers a unique vantage point on the family. Its emphasis is on integration—particularly an integration of family systems, family development, and intergenerational perspectives.