Family Theories

Building upon the success of two previous bestselling editions, the Third Edition of Family Theories continues to be the ideal resource for readers wishing to develop an understanding of sophisticated ideas about families and marriages. Authors James White and David Klein have updated and revised each chapter based on readers' suggestions and on developments in the area of family sociology and family studies. An incisive, thorough introduction to current and traditional theories of the family, this text balances the diversity and richness of a broad scope of scholarly work.New to the Third Edition Starts with a reorganized introductory chapter: The opening chapter has been restructured for increased clarity and to offer a better guide to utilizing theory to guide research and practice. Introduces a new chapter: Previous editions included seven major theoretical frameworks to explain variation in family life. The Third Edition welcomes the addition of an eighth framework on functionalist theory. Includes material on postmodernism: By placing information on postmodernism within the chapter on the feminist framework, the authors allow readers to see more clearly how these two intellectual movements relate to the study of families. Offers updates throughout: Significant additions to the 'œVariations' section of all chapters have been made to capture new theoretical developments. Restores several meta-theories: Deleted from the last chapter in the previous edition, several meta-theories, dealing with the type of causation, treatment of time, and the level of analysis, have been added back in this new edition.Intended AudienceThis text is designed for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses such as Family Theories, Family Systems & Theory, and Sociology of the Family in departments of family studies, sociology, and human development

Preface to the Third Edition	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xiii
What Is a Theory?	p. 1
Philosophies of Science	p. 2
Architecture of a Scientific Theory	p. 6
Defining Theory	p. 10
Functions of Theory	p. 14
Theories About Families	p. 16
A Brief History of Family Theory	p. 21
Conceptual Frameworks: 1950-1966	p. 23
Formal Theory Construction: 1967-1979	p. 24
Pluralism: 1980-1999	p. 25
Post-Postmodern Theory: 2000-Present	p. 26
Evaluation of Theory	p. 27
Frameworks	p. 28
Suggested Readings	p. 31
The Functionalist Framework	p. 33
Intellectual Traditions	p. 34
Focus and Scope Assumptions	p. 42
Concepts	p. 43
Propositions	p. 47
Variations	p. 50
Empirical Applications	p. 55
Implications for Intervention	p. 59
Critiques and Discussion	p. 59
Conclusion	p. 62
Suggested Readings	p. 63
The Social Exchange and Rational Choice Framework	p. 65
Intellectual Traditions	p. 66
Focus and Scope Assumptions	p. 68
Concepts	p. 70
Propositions	p. 77
Variations	p. 80
Empirical Applications	p. 83
Implications for Intervention	p. 87
Critiques and Discussion	p. 87
Conclusion	p. 91
Suggested Readings	p. 91
The Symbolic Interaction Framework	p. 93
Intellectual Traditions	p. 95
Focus and Scope Assumptions	p. 98
Concepts	p. 100
Propositions	p. 104
Variations	p. 107
Empirical Applications	p. 111
Implications for Intervention	p. 113
Critiques and Discussion	p. 114
Conclusion	p. 119
Suggested Readings	p. 120
The Family Life Course Development Framework	p. 121
Intellectual Traditions	p. 123
Focus and Scope Assumptions	p. 126
Concepts	p. 128
Propositions	p. 133
Variations	p. 138
Empirical Applications	p. 142
Implications for Intervention	p. 144
Critiques and Discussion	p. 145
Conclusion	p. 148
Suggested Readings	p. 149
The Systems Framework	p. 151
Intellectual Traditions	p. 152
Focus and Scope Assumptions	p. 156
Concepts	p. 157
Propositions	p. 161
Variations	p. 165
Empirical Applications	p. 170
Implications for Intervention	p. 172
Critiques and Discussion	p. 173
Conclusion	p. 175
Suggested Readings	p. 177
The Conflict Framework	p. 179
Intellectual Traditions	p. 180
Focus and Scope Assumptions	p. 184
Concepts	p. 185
Propositions	p. 188
Variations	p. 190
Empirical Applications	p. 198
Implications for Intervention	p. 200
Critiques and Discussion	p. 201
Conclusion	p. 203
Suggested Readings	p. 204
The Feminist Framework and Poststructuralism	p. 205
Intellectual Traditions	p. 206
Focus and Scope Assumptions	p. 218
Concepts	p. 221
Propositions	p. 223
Variations	p. 226
Empirical Applications	p. 231
Implications for Intervention	p. 234
Critiques and Discussion	p. 235
Conclusion	p. 238
Suggested Readings	p. 240
The Bioecological Framework	p. 241
Intellectual Traditions	p. 243
Focus and Scope Assumptions	p. 247
Concepts	p. 249
Propositions	p. 252
Variations	p. 256
Empirical Applications	p. 265
Implications for Intervention	p. 267
Critiques and Discussion	p. 267
Conclusion	p. 270
Suggested Readings	p. 271
The State of Family Theory and Its Future	p. 273
State of Family Theory	p. 274
Theory Construction	p. 276
Metatheory and Theory Development	p. 281
The Future of Family Theory	p. 283
Conclusion	p. 287
Suggested Readings	p. 288
References	p. 289
Index	p. 313
About the Authors	p. 333
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