Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book continues the method established by Browning and Pasley in Contemporary Families: Translating Research into Practice. It selects seven different families: families of divorce; stepfamilies; "fragile families"; families of addiction; families of homicide; families post-imprisonment; and cyberbullied families. Stepfamilies are distinct from first-union families, yet by outside appearances can look identical, and that perceptual appearance is one of the challenges for these families. The stepfamily often is surprised by the emotional volatility within the home shortly after the union, whether that is marriage or cohabitation. The "Fragile Family" is an amorphous system. The greatest impediment to treating the fragile family is the chaos itself. A clinician often is stymied in trying to intervene when sudden disruptions derail treatment. The book represents a focused attempt to establish a class of clinical approaches supported by basic social science research.