ABSTRACT
Participation of subjects in research on family and kinship may derive from individual decisions or through the efforts of organized groups. Some aspects of family and kinship relations are "structured by explicit principles directly applicable to the behavior of kinsmen vis-a-vis one another," other aspects by principles that only indirectly affect the behavior of kinsmen, and others by principles "that operate covertly and are identified only by analysis." An analysis of existing family records, such as household accounts, records of business transactions with relatives, and both published and unpublished genealogies, may provide many insights into family and kinship organization and interaction. Most studies of family and kinship relations seem to focus upon children. A sizable segment in every community opposes research on family or phychiatric problems. Ordinarily these are the ultraconservative organizations whose members regard social science as a tool used by radicals, principally communists.
