ABSTRACT
In this concluding chapter, in line with our goal of understanding individual development in the context of relationships in the family, we discuss the importance of: (a) more specific definitions of family conflict and cohesion for advancing the study of critical family processes; (b) a more nuanced and less deficit-driven model of family conflict; (c) a better understanding of bidirectional influences of family relationships and individual development; (d) more information concerning the relations between relationships in the family; (e) a more contextualized look at diverse family constellations; (f) understanding how different family relationships come into being; and (g) moving the study of the family from exclusive use of small samples to use of large national data sets as well. In this discussion, we reflect on the contributions in this volume, integrate the insights gained from this research, discuss implications for perspectives on mental health and development, and highlight issues that remain to be addressed.
