Reviewed 26 marriage and family textbooks for content about stepfamilies. Many authors did not include the topic or included it in only a cursory fashion. Stepfamily information could be categorized as factors related to successful functioning, source of stress, and recommendations. Concluded that stepfamilies have been relatively neglected. (JAC)

Presents an integrated family counseling approach that uses observation and intervention in the home setting. Describes advantages of the model, illustrated with several specific examples, and also reviews limitations. (JAC)

Using longitudinal survey data on the retirement experience of men, researchers provide insights on the economic situation of families in which the major breadwinner is retired. (JOW)

Discusses family life in China, which has undergone several dramatic changes including raising of the legal marriage age, less restrictions on divorce, and official promotion of family planning. Because these policies and practices conflict with Chinese traditions, inevitable problems have arisen. (JAC)

The author, famous in the field of family counseling, relates his experiences and subsequent inferences in the field of family life. (RWP)

This paper attempts to specify ways in which the modern family in the United States differs from its historical predecessor through a distinction between the public and private character of social institutions. (Author)

Empirical research on childlessness would provide a necessary control group for analyses of motivations for parenthood, and of the effects of children on personal and marital adjustment. Knowledge of the conditions under which voluntary childlessness constitutes a viable and satisfactory alternate life style would have implications for more…

It is concluded that romanticism does not appear to be harmful to marriage relationships in particular or the family system in general, and is therefore not generally dysfunctional in our society. (Author)

An attempt is made to see what the future family life teacher will be like. In what ways will he be different from today's teacher? What different kind of preparation will he have for his work? How will his profession differ from today's profession of family life education? (Author)

This description of the formation of local family life councils in North Carolina is offered for the guidance that it may provide others in establishing family life councils at the community level. Comments follow by J. Obert Kepson and Ruth H. Jewson. (Author)

Author discusses the importance and purpose of her course on child development that was given to young adults. (LF)

This study involved a variety of data gathering techniques focusing on almost every aspect of multilateral marriages. Specific topics covered included sex as motivation, group sex, sleeping arrangements, cohesion, sexual problems, jealousy, roles and sex differences. (Author/CG)

The "nonzero sum" noncooperative Prisoner's Dilemma game was used to study marital conflict. Among the results were that: (1) personality characteristics were more predictive of conflict behavior for wives while person perception characteristics were more predictive for husbands; and (2) both sexes tended to exhibit conflict behavior. (Author)