ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the family economy and the relation of the family to economic systems. It shows that economic resources and their use play a critical role in differentiating among families. The chapter examines the impact of the socioeconomic setting on modern families. Data from the Family Interaction Project (FIP) are examined in terms of the nature and direction of relationships between: socioeconomic resources; perceived job and family economic role stress; and the continuum from competent to maladaptive parenting. The chapter discusses the multiple spheres of influence that contribute to destructive parent-youth relationships, and explores the situational factors that provide a context for maladaptive family functioning. One may view the goal of child rearing as the socialization of children and adolescents into concerned, competent, psychologically healthy, and productive members of society. Sexual abuse of girls peaks just prior to or during early adolescence, and the majority of perpetrators are fathers or stepfathers.
