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This paper examines the hypothesis that residential mobility is disruptive of social relations; and it seeks to identify patterns of adaptation which emerge from that disruption. Among other things, it is found that women who moved between 1966 and 1969 were more frequently sociable both before and after their move than those who did not move. Further, differential patterns of disruption hold for intra- and extra-neighborhood contacts. There is, in addition, a period of heightened social interaction on the part of the most recent movers. Spatial mobility, it is concluded, does exert changes on the social lives of women in households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human sexuality has been analyzed traditionally within the conceptual frameworks of marriage and the family. This paper deals, however, with the premise that sex is becoming an autonomous and distinct realm of social interaction. The sociological implications of such a development are explored. An attempt is made to design an analytical framework suitable to the study of sexual behavior—and its interconnections with other social institutions—as an end in itself. Finally, a case is made in support of the analysis of sexual interaction within a framework of reciprocity and exchange. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Framing this paper is the question: what research problem and hypotheses suggested by symbolic interaction theory give promise, if pursued, of significantly advancing the sociology of the family? The problem delineated revolves around the concepts of identity and commitment. After explication of a set of premises and needed refinements in concepts basic to symbolic interaction theory, a number of hypotheses are offered. These purport to account for the position of identities in a salience hierarchy and tie identity salience to role performance. Finally, it is noted that these hypotheses could profitably be studied in the research setting of responses to first pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an analysis of 6389 homicides occurring in the city of Detroit during 1926-1968, a classification of homicides based on social interaction was proposed. In this paper the data dealing with the largest category of homicides, those involving "family relations," are summarized. The proportion of all homicides involving family relations, and age-race-sex specific rates for the defendants and victims of these homicides are presented. It is proposed that homicides involving family members represent problems in family interaction and maladjustment, and that the proper training of persons in family counseling and crisis intervention may help reduce the homicide rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on a variety of sources of information and describes the biraderi system of kin relations in Pun jab. The system consists of a larger circle of relatives who share a common identity through its name and a more restricted circle determined by competitive gift giving. Functions of this institution are outlined and their implications are traced for a developing country like Pakistan. It is maintained that a fresh approach is needed to resolve the conflicting requirements of the kin groups and the development processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on the factor analytic structure of small group interaction, parent-child interaction, and personality traits is reviewed and interpreted within the framework of a circumflex model. This model uses power and support as reference axes around which other patterns of interaction or of personaltiy can be meaningfully arrayed. The circumflex model provides a theoretical map which can be used to order existing data and to generate hypotheses. Examples of such ordering and of hypotheses are given. Location of socializing agents or groups in the two-dimensional property space formed by the variables of power and support is a minimal essential specification of the social interactional context within which socialization takes place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Families in which one of the parents is absent have so far been studied under different categories (prisoners, divorced) or different names ("incomplete," or "one-parent"). This has hampered the study of the effects of this widely spread phenomenon. A study of sailor families in Israel has been hampered by the tack of a conceptual framework which would have made it possible to apply findings from studies of different kinds of parent-absent families in the service of this particular group. A mapping sentence is presented which distinguishes between six facets concerning the nature of the absence (precipitating cause, the absent parent, the duration of absence, the frequency of absence, the amounts of contact, the kinds of contact) and two facets which relate to its effects (the family unit, its members, the areas of their lives). On the basis of these concepts comparative studies can be conducted and findings generalized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although sibling interaction is a very prevalent form of behavior, it has received relatively little attention by sociologists. The topic is important as one aspect of family behavior and for the effects of the interaction on socialization and other dimensions of family interaction, such as husband-wife relations. The present study analyzes data from over 8000 subjects on sibling affect as related to sex of subject and sibling, age of subject (junior or senior high), older versus younger sibling, and family size. Females are more likely to have high affect toward siblings than males, the same-sex sibling is preferred, affect is higher, on the average, toward older than younger siblings, it decreases with age, and is stronger in two-child families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence for the thesis that sibling solidarity is a characteristic of American kinship is not conclusive. In particular, data on interaction among siblings and spouse's siblings is lacking. In an attempt to clarify the nature of sibling solidarity, this study of interaction patterns among a white, urban working-class sample suggests that previously held notions should be altered insofar as this location in the class structure is concerned. Siblings simply are not available for interaction in the metropolitan area for a large proportion of the sample. The sibling bond is not sustained at the same level throughout the lift cycle, but appears to become less prevalent among older people. The presence or absence of the conjugal tie plays the crucial role in interaction among collaterals. Sibling interaction may be compensatory upon the disruption of marriage, rather than, as some have claimed, the focal kinship relation in itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on a study that aims to analyze the nature of fictive kin term use within the United States. The study findings highlight that the first description of fictive kin term usage is based mainly on its functional utility for the American kinship system. According to the study, the kin term usage for nonrelatives can be developed in lieu of a more appropriate verbal expression of a familiar relationship. The study suggests that fictive kin terms can also be used by a third party as a process of confirming a personal association.

The IMC is an interaction technique which was developed to provide valid and reliable interaction data on decision-making processes and conflict resolution in couples. The IMC consists of 18 vignettes which present various types of marital conflicts that are generally relevant to couples. The IMC has several advantages compared to other marital interaction techniques and a new 29-category coding system has been developed to score the interaction material. The IMC also provides win scores and information on the relevancy of the material for each couple. Data has been collected from 1,000 couples married one and two years, with and without children. In addition to its possibilities as a research tool, the IMC also has potential as a diagnostic tool for marital therapy and as a means of evaluating process change resulting from treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conceptual framework is an attempt to focus attention upon the normal course of development of family relationships and upon the concepts formed in these relationships. The initial steps in developing such a framework required the replacement of such concepts as identification, learning, and primary and secondary socialization with new terms combining their contents in such a way that interdefinition would be more likely to occur. The concept familization was created as an alternate to prior conceptions and was then linked to a parallel concept of socialization. It was thereby possible to integrate the joint processes of familization and socialization with the structural elements deriving from them. This was termed the universe of meaning and its components were defined as the familial concept, alignment concepts, parental and sibling concepts, the marital concept, the self-concept and a corresponding array of role concepts with regard to family interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between birth order and friendship associations is analyzed in a study based on a total sample of women college students in the Middle East. The main finding of the study is that last-born girls tend to visit with friends more frequently than first and in-between children. However, the same pattern by birth order does not always hold when intensity of interaction with friends is considered. Theoretically, the relatively high participation with friends on the part of last-borns as compared to first-borns may reflect the beginning of change in the functions of the family. Moreover, the apparent high friendship interaction of all the different groups studied emphasizes group solidarity based on affectivity as its major base of strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Familism is a form of social organization in which the interests of the individual are subordinated those of the family group. A scale to measure familism is developed by employing a form of item analysis called trace line analysis. Statistically significant associations with variables expected to be related to familism support the validity of the scale. Construction of the scale is based on a sample of 764 Pennsylvania Stale University students. The scale can be used to study such problems the effects of geographical and occupational mobility on generational relations and differences or similarities in rural and urban family solidarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current interest in developing conceptual frameworks applicable to the study of the family has produced several identifiable schemata. Some potentially fruitful approaches have been ignored, however. One notable emission is that approach which views familial behavior as social exchange. Assaying the relevance of this framework, we show that many of its basic assumptions and concepts are presently utilized implicitly in analyses of familial behavior. It is contended that for this reason the exchange framework should be accorded explicit recognition. Moreover, it is shown that, when employed in a consistent manner, testable hypotheses as well as deductive explanatory theory can be generated. To illustrate, several testable relationships are suggested and a theory of homogamous mating is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine simultaneously the application of two constructs (social class and life cycle) as an instrument for analyzing family decision-making patterns. The focused interviews indicated that through the life-cycle stages, the upper-middle-class families made syncratic decisions, the lower-middle-class families made syncratic and partially syncratic decisions, and the upper-lower-class families made syncratic, partially syncratic, and autonomic decisions. The data suggested that the variables of role, social interaction, product competence, marital relations, and family income influenced the paradigms of family decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The perspective of symbolic interaction is used to structure an understanding of empathy and communication efficiency in courtship and marriage. Three sets of cross-sex dyads—strangers, engaged couples, and marital pairs—engage in a communication game (Password) and a role-taking situation. The data reveal that communication efficiency, especially for ‘family related’ word, is greatest for the marital pairs, less high for the engaged couples, and lowest between strangers. Empathy follows the same general pattern, though a sex difference does vary somewhat the relationship between empathy and marital status. Finally, the association of communication efficiency and empathy is shown to be dependent on marital status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article shares an author's reflections on his encounters with Professor Ernest Watson Burgess and his contributions to the field of marriage and family. The author was first introduced to Burgess as student, and took regard for his interest in delinquents and their families and other fields of similar interest. They developed a professional working relationship. The author was intrigued by the productivity of Burgess' perceptions and conceptualizations. In Burgess' thinking about the family, he pointed out the way the family itself appeared to collapse in areas where the community lacked supporting institutions and norms. The author asserts that Burgess should be credited with an early and vigorous presentation on the countervailing emphasis on the necessity to see the family and its members as continually expanding and changing processes and products of social interaction.

An upper-middle-class Protestant family was studied over three generations. Joint interviews were conducted with all couples at the parent and grandparent generations. Each family's interactions were observed in a structured task situation and at dinner. The taped interviews and interaction situations were analyzed for behavior transactions between family members by using an empirically derived classification system. The interviews were also analyzed for perceptions of self and others. The four variables which appeared to be significant for the transmission of interacting and relating patterns in this family were: ordinal position, husband-wife choice, cultural impact, and conscious and unconscious motives originating within the individual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Difficulties in applying the concept of belief consistency are discussed. It is suggested that social pressures arising from interaction at times influence individuals to adapt particular beliefs which are inconsistent with other beliefs; consequently, autonomous individuals who are freer from external pressures should have more latitude for ordering their beliefs along a dimension of consistency than non-autonomous, involved individuals. Data from a study of working-class wives are presented to test the hypothesis that belief consistency varies inversely with involvement in social relationships. The findings reported partially support the hypothesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Middle-class, middle-aged couples in the U. S. were tested on Bott's hypothesis developed on London families that interconnectedness of the social network of married couples is directly related to role segregation in the marital relationship. The parents of all 44 members of a sociology class and the parents' friends were interviewed by questionnaire. No significant relationship could be found between the interconnectedness of the social network of the couple and their role segregation. Instead, role segregation was lowest in couples with more educated wives and in couples where the wife was employed most outside the home. It appears that Bott's original hypothesis may have relevance only for a limited part of the family cycle in middle-class couples, and perhaps is only relevant to lower-class couples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A scoring system is developed which focuses on the continuum from egocentrism through cocentrism to altercentrism in husband-wife interaction. Three groups of couples (husband wins, wife wins, and both win) are identified on the basis of the outcomes of improvisations involving concealed differences. No significant differences appeared between the sexes on the relative amounts of concern shown for the other. It was found that if a person was predominately egocentric, he or she was most likely to win; if cocentric, most likely to be in a both-win situation; and if predominately altercentric, most likely to lose. The initial interaction tended to predict the final outcome of the conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sample of 272 university students were asked about their terms of address and their feelings for their parents, aunts, and uncles. The findings confirm some of the earlier suggestions of Schneider and Homans and fail to confirm others. Children did not use more intimate terms of address to the parent of the opposite sex, and sentiments toward parents were not highly correlated with preferred terms of address. Uncles and aunts were more likely to be addressed with the kin terms by females, if they were mother's siblings, and if they were not well liked. The implications of these and other findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the assortative mating literature, attitudes have been regarded as homogamous. However, a study of the attitudes of couples who ultimately married each other prior to their serious involvement casts doubt upon early attitude similarity and suggests instead that attitude similarity may be the result of personal interaction and not necessarily present at the outset. Regarding those attitudes that are initially similar, it is suggested that this similarity may not be unique to the couple but rather that it may be a function of greater incidence in the field of eligibles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the possible effects of divorce upon the behavior of adolescent children. A large sample of parents (N = 1,566) completed usable questionnaires; the sample was then divided into the independent variables of family type and social class and the dependent variables of adolescent characteristics and school social relationships. Nonsignificant differences were found for the majority of relationships tested pertaining to the detrimental effects of divorce upon children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first proposition of Reiss's theory of the social context of premarital sexual permissiveness was tested in this study. According to this proposition, a stronger relationship would exist between religiosity and permissiveness in conservative (restrictive tradition) than in liberal (permissive tradition) groups. Bardis's religion scale and Reiss's permissiveness scales were used to test the proposition. These data, in general, do not support Reiss's proposition, and a more parsimonious explanation of the theory is suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since it has not been demonstrated that specific need patterns are associated with interpersonal satisfaction, it is argued that previous tests of Winch's hypothesis of complementary needs are ambiguous. Using the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule and the Leary Interpersonal Adjective Check List, an attempt was made to discover those need patterns associated with mutual satisfaction. The results are essentially negative in that it was not found that variation in need patterns is associated with variations in satisfaction. If further research substantiates these findings, it must be concluded that Winch's hypothesis is based upon an erroneous assumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study which examines the attitude of the youth toward aged persons and aims to clarify perceptions toward the aged. Respondents of the study include 400 students in high school and college. Base on the responses gathered, it is indicated that students are generally favorable however few perceived the aged with less favorable attitudes. This apparent neutralism of the youth toward the elderly may be existing in a climate of tolerance rather than in one of acceptance and responsiveness. The author suggests ways on how a high schoolteacher help young people develop supportive and respectful attitudes toward the aged.

Research on homogamy and heterogamy in mate selection has usually studied couples already engaged or married without comparing these selections with others which might have been made from the field of eligibles or controlling for influence of the couple's subsequent interaction. This study finds that 20 couples were homogamous within their field of eligibles on self, social, and total adjustment as well as I.Q. score prior to their selections of each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]