ABSTRACT
Family life is a dynamic, intricately patterned kaleidoscope of feelings and emotions, ranging from the most intense hues of anger, hate, and love to the mildest shades of irritation, hurt, and affection. There are times when the family provides an emotional refuge, a “haven in a heartless world.” At other times, the family is a crucible of dark emotions that may fracture and destroy family relationships. The emotional life of the family is rich and extraordinarily complex: a complexity that derives, in part, from the sheer number of the relationships it may comprise, from adult partners/spouses to parents and children, siblings, and extended/blended family members, including aunts, uncles, grandparents, stepparents, and beyond. Every family member is a potentially powerful source of emotion for every other family member, and every family member’s expression of emotion has a more or less powerful impact on other family members. Emotions, then, can be thought of as the currency of family relationships, imbuing them with meaning and importance.
