ABSTRACT
In this quote from Buddha, the dynamic role that emotions play in family life is insinuated. "The family is the place where minds come in contact with one another" reflects the fact that the emotional lives of family members interact, influence, and confront one another. Sometimes these emotional interactions and confrontations are relatively calm and benign, sometimes they are filled with rapture and affection, and sometimes they are like a storm of anger, rage, fear, and anxiety that plays havoc with family harmony and relationships. Moreover, emotions are involved in almost every aspect of family development: from the beginnings of family formation (e.g., dating, courting, attraction, and marriage), to the transition to parenthood (e.g., pregnancy, birth, bonding, and attachment), parenting (e.g., socialization and discipline), as well as the dissolution of family relationships (e.g., divorce and
4 EMOTIONS AND THE EAMILY
death). Thus, in many ways, the fabric of family life is woven together by the complex interplay of the emotions of its members. As a result, behavior often is at its emotional peak at home. Families, therefore, provide a natural laboratory for the investigation of emotional experience and expression.
