ABSTRACT
Based on two ongoing research programs, one exploring family of origin influences on early marital development, the other evaluating family influences on the intergenerational transmission of alcoholism, this chapter proposes that both the explanations of reality that a person takes from his or her family of origin and reworking or transformation of that reality that is accomplished in later life are important determinants of marital health. Conversely, family myth frequently is located on an individual-level namely, to describe the recollections, perceptions, and interpersonal tendencies that individuals internalize or otherwise take away as a result of their being steeped in their families reality. Two major areas of imprecision exist: the first involves issues of distortion and veracity, the second level where family myth resides. The first area of imprecision is reflected in the two definitions of myth found in more general usage. The second area of imprecision in the use of the term, family myth, concerns where the myth is located.
