ABSTRACT
Stepfamilies are different from non-stepfamilies in many ways. Stepfamilies have become so common that they are predicted to be the predominant family structure in the United States by the year 2010. To render stepfamilies services that promote their well-being and meet their needs, one has to recognize their normative structural features and dynamics. It is also important to understand how the members of stepfamilies perceive and cope with their situation. The reluctance to study these families has been blamed on their complexity and the challenges they present to researchers. Much of the literature focused on documenting problems, conflicts, and difficulties of stepfamilies, including the intense painful feelings involved in stepfamily living. Studies and clinical discussions of stepfamilies often examined the effects of remarriage from a problem-oriented, pathologizing viewpoint. The empirical and clinical knowledge on stepfamilies expanded markedly during the 1990s.
