ABSTRACT
Individuals, couples, and immediate families exist within wider interactive worlds. These wider circles of social networks and extended families have always been around, but in every era they take on their own forms and nuances. This chapter takes up the challenge of synthesizing the latest interdisciplinary research on the interactive connections between the wider circles of social networks and immediate family dynamics at the small group level. We begin the chapter by defining social networks, extended families, and the primary
partnerships which are embedded in and influenced by social networks and extended families. Second, we highlight recent themes in the literature on social networks and extended families that are related to communication. Next, we explore how social networks (including extended families) affect primary partnerships, as well as parenting and child outcomes. Turning our attention in the opposite direction, we then explore how transitions in primary partnerships and immediate families affect social networks and extended families. We end the chapter with suggestions for future directions in these areas of research.
