ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with a brief examination of the phenomenon of remarriage in effort to answer the question, “Why does marriage not always work out better the second time around?” Next we present an in-depth analysis of communication and relationships in stepfamilies. This includes societal views of stepfamilies, how stepfamily relationships and communication develop in the early years of stepfamily formation, what stepfamilies talk about in their day-to-day interactions, and how roles and relationships are defined in different types of stepfamilies. We then present a variety of typologies of stepfamilies. We examine diversity in stepfamilies that calls for an expanded view of what it means to be a “stepfamily.” Finally, we examine the challenges that are particular to stepfamilies with regard to communication, conflict, and adaptability and cohesion. Above all else, the research reviewed in this chapter shows that stepfamilies are exceptionally diverse. There are many different types of stepfamilies, and these are represented in numerous taxonomies and typologies of stepfamilies that have been developed by family scientists. Obviously, with all of the various forms and functions in stepfamilies, sweeping generalizations must be interpreted tentatively.
