ABSTRACT
Changes in American families since the mid-twentieth century are described with special attention given to the dissemination of these views of families by the social sciences, especially sociology. The popularization of the ideas about marriage, child-rearing, and family life coming from both sociology and psychology has contributed to cultural changes in American life and collective behavior, particularly the new idea and image of the “diversity” of family forms and “changing families.” The social and psychological sciences have not acted as independent forces for change; they simultaneously reflect and contribute to the changes they study and describe. While the primary functions of the social sciences have been to offer objective and unsentimental views of the family as a “social institution” among other social institutions, their rational and secular perspectives have had an impact—largely unintentional—on everyday life and contemporary culture. The value of family sociology is discussed. Proposals for a public family sociology are outlined—a sociology accessible to an educated lay public and to family practitioners and therapists.
