ABSTRACT
In order to appreciate the developmental ¯ow of family life and the tasks that are associated with this, it is important to consider the way the family moves from one phase of life to another and therefore the idea of a transition becomes important. A transition refers to the process of change or instability that occurs when the family system moves from one relatively stable pattern to another relatively stable pattern (Carter and McGoldrick 1989). We can see that the overall developmental process is a dynamic one of oscillation between stability and change. Transitions do not include the continuous minor adjustments in the behaviour of the family and its members but refer to periods of time when the family becomes used to and adapts to a new set of circumstances. Usually the circumstances are described as being `normative' in that they are frequently occurring events in any particular culture that many, if not most, families will encounter throughout their life. This applies to the variety and diversity of families that we have already described: nuclear families, stepfamilies, lone parent families and extended families.
