An incisive, thorough introduction to current theories of the family, this text balances the diversity and richness of a broad scope of scholarly work with the conciseness needed for ease of use in a one-semester course for upper-division undergraduate and beginning graduate students. Through two editions, this best-selling text has drawn upon seven major theoretical frameworks developed by key social scientists to explain variation in family life. These frameworks include: social exchange and choice, symbolic-interaction, family life course development, systems, conflict, feminist, and ecological. Readers of the Third Edition will welcome the addition of an eighth framework - funcitional theories - along with more suggestions for integrating theory to guide a research program and more applications for those going on to careers in the helping professions.

Table of Contents

Preface to Third Edition 1. What Is a Theory? Philosophies of Science Architecture of a Scientific Theory Defining Theory Functions of a Theory Theories About Families A Brief History of Theory in Family Theory Conceptual Frameworks: 1950-1966 Formal Theory Construction: 1967-1979 Pluralism: 1980-1999 Post-Postmodern Theory: 2000-Present Evaluation of a Theory Frameworks Suggested Readings 2. The Functionalist Framework Intellectual Traditions Focus and Scope Assumptions Concepts Propositions Variations Empirical Applications Implications for Intervention Critiques and Discussion Conclusion Suggested Readings 3. The Social Exchange and Rational Choice Framework Intellectual Traditions Focus and Scope Assumptions Concepts Propositions Variations Empirical Applications Implications for Intervention Critiques and Discussion Conclusion Suggested Readings 4. The Symbolic Interaction Framework Intellectual Traditions Focus and Scope Assumptions Concepts Propositions Variations Empirical Applications Implications for Intervention Critiques and Discussion Conclusion Suggested Readings 5. The Family Life Course Development Framework Intellectual Traditions Focus and Scope Assumptions Concepts Propositions Variations Empirical Applications Implications for Intervention Critiques and Discussion Conclusion Suggested Readings 6. The Systems Framework Intellectual Traditions Focus and Scope Assumptions Concepts Propositions Variations Empirical Applications Implications for Intervention Critiques and Discussion Conclusion Suggested Readings 7. The Conflict Framework Intellectual Traditions Focus and Scope Assumptions Concepts Propositions Variations Empirical Applications Implications for Intervention Critiques and Discussion Conclusion Suggested Readings 8. The Feminist Framework and Poststructuralism Intellectual Traditions Focus and Scope Assumptions Concepts Propositions Variations Empirical Applications Implications for Intervention Critiques and Discussion Conclusion Suggested Readings 9. The Ecological Framework Intellectual Traditions Focus and Scope Assumptions Concepts Propositions Variations Empirical Applications Implications for Intervention Critiques and Discussion Conclusion Suggested Readings 10. The State of Family Theory and Its Future State of Family Theory Theory Construction Metatheory and Theory Development The Future of Family Theory Conclusion Suggested Readings References Index About the Authors

Author Biography

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. He is also an Honorary Fellow of the National Council on Family Relations. 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. He is also an Honorary Fellow of the National Council on Family Relations.