Is Policymaking Focused More on Families or Individuals? Are Professionals Adequately Trained in Family Science, Theory, and Methodology?

The United States may be the most individualistic country in human history (Yankelovich, 1995). For example, the United States and its northern neighbor, Canada, are similar in that they are both liberal Western democracies, yet their founding principles differ substantially. In their constitution, Canadians define rights as “peace, order and good government,” in contrast to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (Lipset & Pool, 1996, p. 38). Consistent with America’s founding principles, the majority of policies in this country focus predominantly on individualschildren, youth, women, veterans, the elderly, disabled, and poor-and fail to recognize how families contribute to social problems, are affected by them, and could be valuable components of viable solutions.