Exploring Family Theories

by Smith, Suzanne R.; Hamon, Raeann R.; Ingoldsby, Bron B.; Miller, J. Elizabeth

• ISBN13: 9780195377712
• ISBN10: 0195377710
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-10-14
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Written by a team of experts, Exploring Family Theories, Second Edition, is a combined text/reader that integrates theory with research and applications. Presenting a diverse variety of perspectives, it offers students a unique and highly readable introduction to family theories. In eachchapter, the editors present the history, scholarship, and critiques of each principal family theory in a concise and student-friendly manner. Numerous illustrations and examples augment and clarify content, while application questions help students relate each theory to the real world. After eachchapter, a follow-up journal article exemplifies how each theory is used to guide actual research. Clear, comprehensive, and concise, Exploring Family Theories, Second Edition, is ideal for undergraduate and graduate courses in family theory.

Author Biography

Suzanne R. Smith is Associate Professor of Human Development, Associate Chair, and Program Director at Washington State University, Vancouver.
Raeann R. Hamon is Distinguished Professor of Family Science and Gerontology and Chair of the Human Development and Family Science Department at Messiah College.
The late Bron B. Ingoldsby was Associate Professor of Family Life at Brigham Young University.
J. Elizabeth Miller is Associate Professor of Family and Child Studies at Northern Illinois University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. vii
About the Authors	p. xiii
Introduction	p. 1
What Is Theory?	p. 1
Theory in Historical Perspective	p. 4
Family Theory	p. 5
Text Organization	p. 6
Symbolic Interactionism Theory	p. 9
History	p. 10
Basic Assumptions	p. 13
Primary Terms and Concepts	p. 15
Common Areas of Research and Application	p. 18
Critique	p. 20
Application	p. 22
Sample Reading: Symbolic Interactionism in Grounded Theory Studies: Women Surviving with HIV/AIDS in Rural Northern Thailand	p. 25
Structural Functionalism Theory	p. 38
History	p. 38
Basic Assumptions	p. 40
Primary Terms and Concepts	p. 41
Common Areas of Research and Application	p. 43
Critique	p. 46
Application	p. 48
Sample Reading: The Theoretical Importance of Love	p. 50
Family Development Theory	p. 64
History	p. 64
Basic Assumptions	p. 66
Primary Terms and Concepts	p. 66
Common Areas of Research and Application	p. 69
Critique	p. 77
Application	p. 78
Sample Reading: Work-Family Stage and Satisfaction with Work-Family Balance	p. 82
Family Stress Theory	p. 94
History	p. 95
Basic Assumptions	p. 96
Primary Terms and Concepts	p. 99
Common Areas of Research and Application	p. 101
Critique	p. 104
Application	p. 107
Sample Reading: Ambiguous Loss and the Family Grieving Process	p. 111
Family Systems Theory	p. 123
History	p. 123
Basic Assumptions	p. 125
Primary Terms and Concepts	p. 131
Common Areas of Research and Application	p. 134
Critique	p. 136
Application	p. 137
Sample Reading: The Costs of Getting Ahead: Mexican Family System Changes After Immigration	p. 140
Conflict Theory	p. 161
History	p. 162
Basic Assumptions	p. 163
Primary Terms and Concepts	p. 167
Common Areas of Research and Application	p. 169
Critique	p. 173
Application	p. 174
Sample Reading: Why Welfare?	p. 177
Social Exchange Theory	p. 201
History	p. 201
Basic Assumptions	p. 202
Primary Terms and Concepts	p. 203
Common Areas of Research and Application	p. 205
Critique	p. 209
Application	p. 210
Sample Reading: Power and Dependence in Intimate Exchange	p. 213
Feminist Family Theory	p. 230
History	p. 230
Basic Assumptions	p. 232
Primary Terms and Concepts	p. 237
Common Areas of Research and Application	p. 239
Critique	p. 241
Application	p. 242
Sample Reading: Feminist Visions for Transforming Families: Desire and Equality Then and Now	p. 245
Biosocial Theory	p. 260
History	p. 261
Basic Assumptions	p. 262
Primary Terms and Concepts	p. 264
Common Areas of Research and Application	p. 265
Critique	p. 269
Application	p. 270
Sample Reading: Biosocial Perspectives on the Family	p. 273
Epilogue	p. 297
Author Index	p. 303
Subject Index	p. 311
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