Close Relations: an Introduction to the Sociology of Families

Appropriate for 1-semester courses in Marriage and the Family, and Sociology of the Family. Focuses on applications and theory for one semester courses. Several overarching themes help organize the material: an emphasis on processes (interaction, communication, cooperation and empathy) found in all families rather than on the specific forms of the family; the fact that the family is becoming more rather than less important, the constant tension between families, schools and work; and historical changes and cross-national comparisons. With a new chapter on Family Dynamics.