Attempts to extend and to synthesize interactional, psychoanalytic, and learning theories as they might apply to the family. Highlights complexities of family interaction as they relate to parent child differences, to mate selection, and to marriage. Both affective and cognitive dimensions of human interaction are incorporated into the framework.…

A study extended and elaborated the coorientation model as a basis for reinterpreting Steven H. Chaffee and Jack M. McLeod's (1970) construct of family communication patterns. Melvin L. Kohn's (1977) theory of the influence of life experiences (e.g., conditions of employment) on parenting values argues that socio-orientation might better be…

The study of kinship models permits a useful alternative to techniques relying on sociometric measures or kinship terminology for the understanding of modern kinship. Presented at the annual National Council on Family Relations Convention, New York, 21 October 1976. (Author)

This approach to working with families under stress recognizes the family as a system interacting via communication patterns among its own members and within a larger context of peers, neighbors, school, work, and community agencies. Presented to the Canadian Guidance and Counseling Association, June 1975 at Vancouver, British Columbia. (Author)

Based upon Maslow's hierarchy of human needs, interpersonal attraction (any personal relationship characterized by love and affection; husband-wife, parent-child, friendship) can be seen as the mutual meeting of emotional needs, especially at the fourth level (love needs) and the fifth level (esteem needs). These levels are differentiated into 10…

This paper addresses itself to the reasons why suicide tends to repeat in some families. Factors include entire family exposure to stresses, grief, and guilt induced by suicide, the provision of a model by the original suicide, suicidogenic interpersonal styles in families, suicidogenic child-rearing practice, and innate predispositions to…

This study assessed collateral effects during unstructured dinnertime family interactions of two different paradigms for training parents of 17 children with autism. One taught individual target behaviors serially, and the other taught the pivotal responses (PRT) of motivation and responsivity to multiple cues. Results suggested the PRT…

This paper argues that researchers should not investigate child development simply through studies of the child alone or mother-infant interactions, but rather through studies of the family as a system. Data is reported which seem to support this view. A review of recent literature indicates that an adequate account of child development requires…