ABSTRACT
In recent years, considerable progress has been made in our understanding of the relationships between the family and the peer group. No longer are these two sets of social systems viewed as independent, but instead they are conceptualized as mutually interdependent (Hartup, 1979; Rubin & Sloman, 1984). Moreover, it is recognized that these two systems are linked in multiple ways. In earlier presentations, we have outlined three alternative pathways that serve to link family and peer systems; these links are not mutually exclusive and may play different roles at different developmental points across development (Parke, MacDonald, Beitel, & Bhavnagri, 1988; Parke, MacDonald, Burks, Carson, Bhavnagri, Barth, & Beitel, 1989)
