Problem Solving in Families

Research and Practice

"This well-written book skillfully introduces the readers to the history of family problem solving. The range and quality of content in the book is vast and comprehensive. Strength lies within the detailed review of the literature. Readers seeking a wealth of information in a single volume may find this text a useful educational and research tool. Given the book's readability, it is recommended for upper-level seminars. It would be appropriate as a supplemental or required graduate-level text in courses from multiple disciplines that deal with family problems. The text is thought provoking, and it may be a useful resource for researchers, students, educators, and practitioners working with families."

--Journal of Marriage and the Family

"This exploration of problem solving is useful to a variety of audiences who work with and conduct research related to families… It offers practical applications of family problem solving as well as recent advances in and future considerations of research this field."

--America's Family Support Magazine

Family problems can range from mild conflicts to pathological issues. In recent years it has become apparent that an understanding of family conflict is impossible without more knowledge about a fundamental characteristic of families-family problem solving. The various methods and tools, both effective and ineffective, that families use to solve their problems is an ongoing subject of research and clinical work that involves many disciplines, including clinical psychology, sociology, family therapy, developmental psychology, communications, and social psychology. These vastly different perspectives and approaches emerging from this research have resulted in a diverse body of knowledge that has yet to be integrated and synthesized. In Family Problem Solving, author Samuel Vuchinich pulls this research together in one comprehensive volume that is written in an accessible and engaging style. Elucidating the core principles that have developed from these various fields, Family Problem Solving explores family conflicts, the nature of family problems, problems across the life cycle, and social constructions. This volume also includes applications of family problem solving as well as recent advances in and future considerations of this field.

This book will provide a useful resource for professionals and students in family studies, developmental psychology, sociology of the family, and family psychology.