Preface xv
Acknowledgments xvii
Walk Through Tour xviii
1 The Changing American Family 1
WHAT IS A FAMILY? 3
FAMILY STRUCTURES VS. FAMILY PROCESSES 8
THE EVOLUTION OF AMERICAN FAMILIES 16
THE APPROACH AND ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THIS BOOK 28
2 How We Study the Family: Theories and Research Methods
31
OVERVIEW: THE NEED FOR GOOD THEORY AND RESEARCH DESIGN 33
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS 33
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 47
DEMOGRAPHIC ISSUES IN RESEARCH 57
3 Sex and Gender 67
OVERVIEW: A BIOECOLOGICAL APPROACH TO SEX AND GENDER 70
WHAT?S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SEX AND GENDER? 70
THE IMPORTANCE OF GENDER FOR LIVING IN FAMILIES 72
GENDER AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION 75
GENDER DISCRIMINATION AND SEXISM 78
THEORIES OF GENDER ROLE DEVELOPMENT 82
OUR DEVELOPMENT INTO BOYS AND GIRLS AND MEN AND WOMEN 87
4 Sexualities 103
OVERVIEW OF INFLUENCES ON SEXUALITY 105
MACROSYSTEM AND HISTORICAL INFLUENCES ON SEX AND SEXUALITIES
105
TRENDS IN SEXUAL BEHAVIOR AND ATTITUDES ABOUT SEX 109
SEX ORGANS: THE WAY THEY WORK AND HOW THINGS GO AWRY 113
SEXUAL ORIENTATION 125
A CLOSER LOOK AT CURRENT ISSUES IN SEXUALITY 129
5 Dating and Mate Selection 141
OVERVIEW OF DATING, HOOKING UP, AND MATE SELECTION 143
A BIOECOLOGICAL EXAMINATION OF DATING AND MATE SELECTION 146
THEORIES OF DATING AND MATE SELECTION 155
HISTORICAL TRENDS IN DATING AND MATE SELECTION 159
DIVERSITY IN DATING AND MATE SELECTION 161
CONTEMPORARY TRENDS AROUND THE WORLD 163
6 Love 171
WHAT IS LOVE? 173
IS LOVE UNIVERSAL? 178
BIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF LOVE 184
THE SOCIAL CONTEXTS OF LOVE: ATTACHMENT THEORY 189
MACROSYSTEM INFLUENCES ON LOVE 193
A FINAL NOTE: ENHANCING THE QUALITY OF LOVE 196
7 Marriages and Committed Partnerships 201
OVERVIEW OF CONTEMPORARY MARRIAGE TRENDS 204
HEALTH BENEFITS OF HAPPY MARRIAGES 207
A HISTORICAL EXAMINATION OF MARRIAGE 210
TYPES OF MARRIAGE 212
MARITAL PROBLEMS 231
HEALTHY PROCESSES IN MARRIAGES 234
8 Living Single 243
OVERVIEW OF SINGLEHOOD 245
UNIQUE CHALLENGES FACING SINGLES 246
THE NORMATIVE LIFE CYCLE MODEL 251
THE DIVERSE LIVES OF SINGLE PEOPLE 253
MACROSYSTEM FORCES AGAINST SINGLEHOOD 257
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH OF SINGLE PEOPLE 263
SINGLE THROUGH COMMITMENT TO GOD 267
FINAL REFLECTIONS 271
9 Reproduction and Parenting 275
OVERVIEW: TO PARENT OR NOT TO PARENT 278
HISTORICAL TRENDS IN PARENTING 280
REPRODUCTION AND BIRTH 286
THE TRANSITION TO PARENTHOOD 293
INFERTILITY AND CREATIVE WAYS TO BECOME PARENTS 296
PARENTING INFANTS AND CHILDREN 301
THE MANY FACES OF PARENTHOOD 309
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND THE MACROSYSTEM 318
10 The Economy of Working Families: Balancing Mental,
Physical, and Financial Health in the Twenty-First Century
323
OVERVIEW OF ECONOMIC TRENDS 325
DIVERSITY IN WORK AND FAMILY LIFE 329
BALANCING WORK AND FAMILY 342
LIVING ON THE EXTREMES OF THE SOCIOECONOMIC CONTINUUM: POVERTY
AND WEALTH 350
11 Families in Crisis: Violence, Abuse, and Neglect
357
OVERVIEW: THE PERVASIVE NATURE OF VIOLENCE 360
ELDER ABUSE AND NEGLECT 361
ANIMAL ABUSE 365
INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE 369
BATTERERS 386
CHILD MALTREATMENT 391
12 Divorce and Remarriage 403
OVERVIEW: TRENDS IN DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE 405
THE COMPLEXITIES OF DIVORCE 411
THE EFFECTS OF DIVORCE 415
REDUCING THE NEGATIVE IMPACT OF DIVORCE 424
REMARRIAGE 427
13 Growing Older in Families 439
OVERVIEW: CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL BELIEFS ABOUT AGING 441
MULTIDIMENSIONAL CHANGES WITH AGE 444
RETIREMENT 456
FAMILY LIFE ACROSS GENERATIONS 458
14 The Evolution of Families in the Twenty-First Century
471
FIVE KEY IDEAS FOR UNDERSTANDING MARRIAGES AND FAMILIES 473
GENERAL TRENDS IN MULTICULTURALISM 475
GENDER AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
477
GLOBALIZATION 480
AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT IMMIGRATION 487
FINAL REFLECTIONS ON THE FUTURE OF FAMILIES 490
Glossary of Key Terms G-1
References R-1
Index I-1
Tasha R. Howe is a Fulbright Scholar and Professor of Psychology at Humboldt State University, where she specializes in family violence, developmental psychopathology, and violence prevention. She is also a nationally certified trainer for the American Psychological Association's violence prevention parenting curriculum Parents Raising Safe Kids. She has published numerous scholarly articles in the fields of child maltreatment, program evaluation, and the scholarship of teaching. In 2009, she was recognized for effectively infusing diversity into her teaching by the Society for the Teaching of Psychology, Division 2 of the American Psychological Association.
"This well-written text provides a balanced perspective on the contemporary American family. It is scholarly yet accessible to most readers. It is definitive while highlighting areas of controversy. It leads to counsel for family members in crisis while acknowledging the uniqueness of each case." - Kenneth A. Dodge, Duke University "Framed within bioecological theory, this book provides a unique and innovative perspective on marriage and families in the multicultural 21st century. The volume is beautifully and respectfully written and students will greatly enjoy reading it. Tasha Howe has produced a gem for the ages." - Dante Cicchetti, University of Minnesota "Marriages and Families in the 21st Century by Tasha Howe is not just another family textbook. Howe has succeeded in providing a fresh perspective on family issues that is reflective of our time. In this engaging text, she emphasizes contemporary issues such as family diversity and the multi-determined nature of both family functioning and family influence on adults and children. The book will have wide appeal to both students and their instructors for its accessible but scholarly approach. This new entry is a winner!!" - Ross D. Parke, University of California, Riverside "This is an extraordinary and comprehensive textbook that will serve as a benchmark for encouraging and exciting students to learn about and understand marriages and families in our increasingly complex world." - Margaret K. Keiley, Auburn University
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