ABSTRACT
FR O M the beginning of this research it was clear that the best way of tackling our subject was to make a fairly inten-sive and detailed study of a limited number of cases, rather than to attempt to survey a few characteristics of a large sample. Very few research workers-sociologists or psychologists-had tackled any of the problems with which we were concerned. The immediate need was for an exploratory investigation, with the object of identifying the principal problems and suggesting fruitful topics for further study. We saw our task as primarily that of gaining enough insight into foster relationships to be able to frame sensible questions about the psychological processes involved: if we should succeed in answering some of the questions ourselves, this was to be regarded as a subsidiary, if gratifying, result.
