Family Theory
Conclusion
There are several reasons for the diversity among family theories. One is the growing number of scholars who have taken family life as an area of serious investigation and the rapidly expanding library of works they have produced. Family theorists also represent a large number of academic and applied disciplines, in and beyond the social sciences. Their ideas are shaped by the specialized training they receive and the different missions established in each discipline. Finally, some questions seem to be answered more satisfactorily if one type of theory is used instead of another.
As long as families remain a central domain in the way people think about the world, and as long as family life is sometimes viewed as troubled or problematic, there will be a sense of urgency about increasing understanding of families. The result is predictable: more theories, more research, and more programs proposed to change what can be changed and to accept what cannot.
See also: DIALECTICAL THEORY; FAMILY DEVELOPMENT THEORY; FAMILY SYSTEMS THEORY; FAMILY, DEFINITION OF; FAMILY, HISTORY OF; HUMAN ECOLOGY THEORY; KINSHIP; LIFE COURSE THEORY; PHENOMENOLOGY; ROLE THEORY; SOCIAL EXCHANGE THEORY; STRUCTURAL-FUNCTIONAL THEORY; SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM
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DAVID M. KLEIN (1995)
Additional topics
Marriage and Family EncyclopediaFamily Theory & Types of FamiliesFamily Theory - Philosophies Of Family Science, Purposes Of Family Theory, Meaning Of Family, Level Or Scope Of Family Theories