The Family on the Threshold of the 21st Century: Trends and Implications

Rating:
Summary: This book on family is suited for professors/therapists.
Review: This book is an interesting book with a multi- disciplinary and international perspective. The book was written by authorities on families from around the world.It would be suitable even for upper-level graduate students. Although all the chapters are interesting five chapters are especially useful. These chapters would be useful for professors to assign for class reading or for therapists to use for their work with families. Carolyn and Philip Cowan, for example, wrote an excellent chapter titled "Working With Couples During Stressful Transitions". This chapter describes typical changes (e.g., parenthood and children beginning school) that nearly all families find stressful. Annette Weiner wrote an interesting and brief history of the nuclear family in her chapter title "The False Assumptions of Traditional Values." This chapter would be a useful and eye-opening reading for an introductory course on marriage and the family. The authors also describe preventative group therapy for expectant couples and new parents. Beverly and Susan Birns wrote a chapter titled "Violence-Free Families" that is both interesting and informative. The authors address common myths associated with family violence, explain current interventions, and propose additional solutions. Wilfried Dumon wrote the chapter "The Situation of Families in Western Europe: "A Sociological Perspective." In this chapter Dumon clearly and nonjudgementally describes how the family has evolved into a variety of forms.Olson summarizes results of research and practice in his chapter titled "Family Stress and Coping: A Multisystem Perspective." Olson's model assesses stress, coping, and adaptation at the individual, couple, and work level. In this chapter Olson also gives a succint review of the coping and stress literature. This book is an interesting book written by a number of well-known scholars. The book has well-written chapters that professors and therapists would find useful.