Bücher der Reihe Understanding Families series

`This book is an outstanding contribution to existing knowledge about bereavement. It breaks new ground in a number of respects: It advances understanding beyond interpersonal level analysis to explore phenomena of grief and grieving in an interpersonal perspective. As such, it extends the perspective usually adopted in traditional theorizing_ The book is a must for both researchers and clinicians alike, indeed, for anyone whose lives are affected by bereavement. It offers new insight and new ways of understanding' - Margaret S. Stroebe, University of Utrecht, The NetherlandsThrough interviews and analysis, the author explores the healing process within the family context, and looks at the dynamics at work in families in which a member has died. With a keen sense of empathy, the author shares stories which show how, gradually, families come to terms with their grief and make sense of the death, as time goes by.This `family meaning-making' is not a linear process; it is alternately stimulated and inhibited within a family. The author draws conclusions from her research about which particular social factors and conditions play a role in the overall outcome. She succeeds in showing not only how different families cope with death within the family, but also how skilful and sensitive field research is done.

A fresh approach to the study of Latino families is offered in this volume which focuses on the strengths of Latino/Hispanic groups, the structural processes that impede their progress and the cultural and familial processes that enhance their intergenerational adaptation and resilience. The contributors present social and demographic profiles of Latino groups in the United States, empirical and conceptual reviews of Latino family approaches, and practice and policy implications from studies of Latino social programmes.

A fresh approach to the study of Latino families is offered in this volume which focuses on the strengths of Latino/Hispanic groups, the structural processes that impede their progress and the cultural and familial processes that enhance their intergenerational adaptation and resilience. The contributors present social and demographic profiles of Latino groups in the United States, empirical and conceptual reviews of Latino family approaches, and practice and policy implications from studies of Latino social programmes.

This work examines and redefines parenting roles by addressing such issues as: divorce and remarriage; gender roles; employment and child care; gay and lesbian parenting; changes in fathering; and family policies and policy needs.

Based on an eight-year study, this book examines how the work experiences of adolescents, both at home and in the paid workforce, affect their lives and their relationships. The book is unique in that it studies not only adolescents, but their parents as well.Among their findings the contributors reveal: the importance of work quality and context in developing youth competence; the similarity between parents and children in their perception of the benefits and costs of youth work; how paid work can contribute to positive family relationships; how positive work experiences can buffer the adolescent from stressful family problems; and how adolescents' work plans influence their transition to adulthood. In addition, the book offers directions for future research in this growing area of inquiry.

The concept of time is central to the study of families and is used in different ways. Synthesizing different concepts into a broad theory of how families understand time, Daly examines time as a pervasive influence in the changing experiential world of families.

Samuel Vuchinich assesses the implications of research on problem solving for family-based prevention and intervention programmes. He explores family conflicts, the nature of family problems, problems across the life cycle, and social constructions.

No More Kin examines extended kinship networks among African American, Chicano and Puerto-Rican families in the United States, and provides an integrated theoretical framework for examining how the simultaneity of gender, race and class oppression affects minority family organization.

This book takes a multidisciplinary perspective, presenting a discussion of the cultural significance of the honeymoon.

Discourses on fatherhood often focus on minimal changes in men's participation in family-life and in so doing mask significant changes some men have made. In contrast, Dienhart's qualitative study of 18 shared parenting couples explores men's and women's resourcefulness as they deliberately co-create alternatives to traditional parenting patterns.

Examines the reasons why children ultimately leave home to live on their own and how the pattern has changed throughout the 20th century.

Communal Families focuses on the role definition of the family within the commune. Historic communal groups such as Shakers, Oneida, Amana, and the Mormons are investigated as are contemporary rural and urban communal groups such as twin Oaks, Jesus People USA, and the Hutterites.