1. Generic Features of Families under Stress

Two STREAMS OF research concerned about social stresses and the family have been running parallel for some time. This conference should stimulate their early convergence. I refer to the research on crisis-proneness in families carried out by family sociologists and the cumulating work of latter-day social work researchers on the properties of the "multi-problem family." To facilitate further the merger of these two professional groups, I shall undertake in this paper to summarize the major issues and findings in family crisis research as seen by family sociologists. I shall first attempt to provide the broad outlines of the conceptual framework most used by family sociologists in the study of family crises. Second, I shall attempt to catalog the stressful events that have been studied and those that remain unstudied, using classifications developed to differentiate crises into types. Third, our chief findings to date will be listed, indicating types of families which thrive and which wilt under stress. Fourth, the generic phases and modes of adjustment to stress will be demonstrated. Fifth, the short-run and long-run effects of stress on families will be assessed. I shall conclude with speculations about the implications of these findings for agency policies and practices.