Families are complicated and this text attempts to explain the complex workings of inner family life. This is the fifth edition of this text. It began as a working project for introductory family classes being taught at Washington State University and Brigham Young University. Our original intent was to create a book that focused primarily on family processes and dynamics rather than sociological trends, political topics, or the individual psychology approach. It is written for undergraduate courses on family processes and family studies, the family, marriage and family interaction and relations, and family dynamics taught in family studies, human development, psychology, sociology, social work, education, consumer sciences, home economics, health, and nursing departments. This book also appeals to those who want to maximize the positive parts of family life.

This edition tries to stay true to that initial mission. To that end, in this edition there are several changes. First, there has been significant updating of chapters. Unfortunately, some of the topics of interest have not produced much new research, but, where possible, every attempt was made to make the topics current.

Second, there have been chapter additions and some chapter restructuring. This edition now contains a chapter on research methods. This is an introductory examination of how research is done in family sciences. Also new is Chapter 7, which introduces the discussion about how we choose relationships and how those choices live on in committed long-term relationships. In the previous edition, the chapter on change and life was combined with the theories chapter (Chapter 3). Some of the chapters appear in different locations in the text. Last, the activities for this text have been moved to a companion Web site at www. psypress.com/family-processes.

Third, I have inserted more research on families from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds and the impact of work and technology on the family (see Chapter 6), the changing nature of family structures including single parenting and gay unions (see Chapter 1), the role of gender and power and genetics and personality in relationships (see Chapter 5), and stresses in family life (see Chapter 13).

Last, the activities for this text have been moved to a companion Web site at www. psypress.com/family-processes. The book’s Web site contains the Chapter Activity Questions that reinforce writing and critical thinking skills, Journal Activities to strengthen students’ personal connection to the material, and Web Links to encourage further investigation into the material online.