Preface.

The article presents a preface to "The Dynamics of Resilient Families" which is the fourth volume in the Resiliency in Families Series and the first volume devoted specifically to qualitative research. This collection emerged from an innovative roundtable conference held on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. This conference brought together scholars from a variety of disciplines, each of whom studies the resilient and often growth-producing processes and outcomes of families facing conflicts and adversity. This volume encompasses a wide variety of topics. The use of qualitative methods allows novel themes to emerge about central issues in family studies. Several of the chapters focus on the resilient adaptation and creation of meaning for families facing health-related crises. The chapters in this volume represent the diversity of approaches that are gathered under the umbrella of qualitative methods. These chapters demonstrate a variety of techniques for and approaches to collecting and analyzing qualitative data. In addition, the differences in the methods employed in these studies can further the dialogue on qualitative methodology for the study of families.