The Contemporary American Family

The Contemporary American Family: A Dialectical Perspective on Communication and Relationships recognizes that families are both close and distant, stable and changing, amenable and uncontrollable. Teresa Chandler Sabourin employs a dialectical approach, acknowledging that a family's contradictions and relational tensions may be the determining factor in its interaction. Writing in a direct and simple style, Sabourin uses this innovative theoretical position to address four types of family diversity: structural, cultural, developmental, and functional.Designed as a supplemental text for upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses in Family Communication, The Contemporary American Family is also an invaluable resource for students in Family Studies and Women's Studies courses.

AcknowledgementsPrefaceChapter 1: A Dialectical Approach to Family Conceptual tools Basic concepts Dialectical management patterns Interface of culture patterns Dialectical classificationsChapter 2: Defining the Contemporary Family Defining family Criteria for defining familyChapter 3: Structural Diversity Contemporary family structures Nuclear family Single parent family Blended familyChapter 4: Cultural Diversity Cultural diversity in the family Religion and family culture Diversity in sexual orientation Racial and ethnic diversityChapter 5: Developmental Diversity Approaches to development The family life cycle approach The learning approach A dialectical approachChapter 6: Functional Diversity Functional diversity and the family The impact of alcoholism on the family Domestic violence The dark side of divorceChapter 7: Family Spirituality Bringing light into darkness A spiritual approach 12-Step programsReferences