In order to develop normally, children need emotional involvement and shared activities with one or more adult(s). Public policy in the United States, unlike that of most industrialized societies, is not supportive of family life. (Author/GC)

Extensive analysis of all the data available from the United States Census bearing on changes in the American family from the Second World War to the present reveal a progressive fragmentation and isolation for the family in its child rearing role. Suggests the necessities for complete child development, examines the plight of single parents, and…

Outlines the four worlds of childhood and the ways that alienation in adolescents can be counteracted through the creation of interconnecting links. The risks of losing youths to alienating factors caused by institutions, the social structure, and the pressures under which schools and families function is the highest it has ever been. (MD)

Evolutionary changes in the structure of the American family have led to an increase in the estrangement between young people and adults in the United States. The role of day care services, peer groups, schools, the community, and the organization of work are discussed in terms of their contribution to this alienation as well as possible changes…

Presents data describing the fragmentation of the family, suggests causes for the fragmentation, and offers suggestions for reversing the trend. The suggestions focus on day care, part-time employment practices, enhancing the position of women, and work and responsibility. (IRT)