Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Rise of Family Theory

A Historical and Critical Analysis

  • Chapter
Handbook of Marriage and the Family

Abstract

In 1957, Hill, Katz, and Simpson published a prospectus for an inventory of marriage and family research from 1900 to 1956. A goal of this inventory was “the theoretical organization, where possible, of research findings into a set of interrelated hypotheses and propositions” (p. 89). This article also continued Hill’s earlier work (1951a,b, 1955) of organizing previous research projects by “major conceptual apparatus” (1957, p. 89). Two years later, William J. Goode (1959) published an article on family theory with the subtitle “Horizons in Family Theory.” The content and format of these two articles were dramatically predictive of what was to happen during the 1960s and 1970s in family theory.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aldous, J. Strategies for developing family theory. Journal of Marriage and the Family ,1970, 32 ,(May), 250–257.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aldous, J. A brighter view: Discussion of “through the glass darkly.” Paper presented at the NCFR Theory Construction and Research Methodology Workshop, October 1980, Portland, Oregon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alexander, J. C. Theoretical logic in sociology (Vol. 1). Berkeley: University of California Press, 1982.

    Google Scholar 

  • Angell, R. The Family Encounters the Depression. New York: Scribner, 1936.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bartz, K. W.,&Nye, F. I. Early marriage: A propositional formulation. Journal of Marriage and the Family ,1970, 32 ,258–268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baumrind, D. New directions in socialization research. American Psychologist ,1980, 35 ,639–652.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Becker, H.,&Barnes, H. Social thought: From lore to science (Vol. 3), Sociological trends throughout the world to the start of the twentieth century’s seventh decade (3rd ed.). New York: Dover, 1961.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bernstein, R. J. The restructuring of social and political theory. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1976.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bhaskar, R. A realist theory of science. Leeds: Leeds Books, 1975.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bhaskar, R. The possibility of naturalism. Brighton, Sussex: Harvester Press, 1979.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blalock, H. Theory construction. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1969.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bridgman, R. P. Ten years’ progress in parent education. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science ,1930, 151 ,32–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Broderick, C. B. Beyond the five conceptual frameworks: A decade of development in family theory.Journal of Marriage and the Family, 1971, 33 ,139–159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Broderick, C. B.,&Schrader, S. S. The history of professional marriage and family therapy. In A. S. Gurman&D. P. Kniskern (Eds.), Handbook of family therapy. New York: Brunner/Mazel, 1981.

    Google Scholar 

  • Broderick, C. B.,&Smith, J. The general systems approach to the family. In W. R. Burr, R. Hill, F. I. Nye,&I. L. Reiss (Eds.), Contemporary theories about the family (Vol. 2). New York: Wiley, 1979.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bronowski, J. Knowledge and certainty. In J. Bronowski (Ed.), The Ascent of Man. Boston: Little, Brown, 1973.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, H. I. Perception, theory and commitment: The new philosophy of science. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1977.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burgess, E. W. The family as a unity of interacting personalities. Family ,1926, 7, 3–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burr, W. R. Theory construction and the sociology of the family. New York: Wiley, 1973.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burr, W. R., Mead, D. E.,&Rollins, B. C. A model for the application of research findings by the educator and counselor: Research to theory to practice. The Family Coordinator ,1973, 22 ,285–290.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burr, W., Hill, R., Nye, F. I.,&Reiss, I. Contemporary theories about the family (Vol. 1). New York: Free Press, 1979. (a)

    Google Scholar 

  • Burr, W., Hill, R., Nye, F. I.,&Reiss, I. Contemporary theories about the family (Vol. 2). New York: Free Press, 1979. (b)

    Google Scholar 

  • Caplow, T., Bahr, H. H., Chadwick, B. A., Hill, R.,&Williamson, M. H. Middleton families: Fifty years of change and continuity. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1982.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cartwright, D. Contemporary social psychology in historical perspective. Social Psychology Quarterly ,1979, 42(1), 82–93.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cavan, R.,&Ranck, K. The family and the Depression. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1938.

    Google Scholar 

  • Christensen, H. T. Development of the family field of study. In H. Chris-tensen (Ed.), Handbook of marriage and the family. Chicago: Rand McNally, 1964.

    Google Scholar 

  • Colapinto, T. The relative value of empirical evidence. Family Process , 1979, 18 ,427–441. Dubin, R. Theory building: A practical guide to the construction and testing of theoretical models. New York: Free Press, 1969.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Foote, N. N. The appraisal of family research. Marriage and Family Living ,1957, 19 ,92–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freud, S. The basic writings of Sigmund Freud ,trans. and ed. by A. A. Brill. New York: Modern Library, 1938.

    Google Scholar 

  • Giddens, A. Positivism and sociology. London: Heinemann, 1974.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goode, W. J. Horizons in family theory. In R. K. Merton, L. Broom,&L. S. Cottrell (Eds.), Sociology today (Vol. 1). New York: Basic Books, 1959.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goode, W., Hopkins, E. H.,&Mcclure, H. M. Social systems and family patterns: A propositional inventory. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1971.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gordon, M. American family: Past present and future. New York: Random House, 1978.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gurman, A. S.,&Kniskern, D. P. Family therapy, outcome research: Knowns and unknowns. In A. S. Gurman&D. P. Kniskern (Eds.), Handbook of family therapy. New York: Brunner/Mazel, 1981. (a)

    Google Scholar 

  • Gurman, A. S.,&Kniskern, D. P. Handbook of family therapy. New York: Brunner/Mazel, 1981. (b)

    Google Scholar 

  • Gurman, A. S.,&Kniskern, D. P. Family therapy research and the “new epistemology.” Journal of Marital and Family Therapy ,1983, 9(3), 227–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Habermas, J. Towards a theory of communicative competence. Inquiry ,1970, 13 ,360-375.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Habermas, J. Knowledge and human interests. New York: Beacon Press, 1971.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris, L. M.,&Berlin, D. Meta theoretical considerations for family theory: An apology to families. Paper presented at NCFR Theory Construction and Research Methodology Workshop, October 1982, Washington, D.C.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heiss, J. Family theory-Twenty years later. Contemporary Sociology, 1980, 9 (March), 201–203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, R. Interdisciplinary workshop on marriage and family research. Marriage and Family Living ,1951, 13(1) ,13–28. (a)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, R. Review of current research on marriage and the family. American Sociological Review ,1951, 76(5), 694–701. (b)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, R. A critique of contemporary marriage and family research. Social Forces ,1955, 33 ,268–277.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, R. Contemporary developments in family theory. Journal of Marriage and the Family ,1966, 28(1), 10–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, R.,&Hansen, D. The identification of conceptual frameworks utilized in family study. Marriage and Family Living ,1960, 22 ,299– 311.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, R., Katz, A.,&Simpson, R. An inventory of research in marriage and family behavior: A statement of objectives and progress. Marriage and Family Living ,1957, 19 ,89–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hinkle, R. C. Founding theory of American sociology 1881-1915. Boston: Routledge&Kegan Paul, 1980.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holman, T. B. The influence of community involvement in marital quality. Journal of Marriage and the Family ,1981, 43(1) ,143–149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holman, T. B.,&Burr, W. R. Beyond the beyond: The growth of family theories in the 1970’s. Journal of Marriage and the Family ,1980, 42(4) ,729–741.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Homans, G. Bringing men back in. American Sociological Review ,1964, 29(6), 809–818.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Howard, R. L. A social history of American family sociology, 1865-1970. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Missouri, 1975.

    Google Scholar 

  • Howard, R. L. A social history of American family sociology, 1865-1940 ,ed. by J. Mogey. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood, Press, 1981.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kinlock, G. Sociological theory: Its development and major paradigms. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1977.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klein, D. Commentary on the linkages between conceptual frameworks and theory development on sociology. The Social Quarterly ,1980, 21(Summer), 443–453.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Komarovsky, M.,&Waller, W. Studies of the family. American Journal of Sociology, 1945, 50(6) ,443-451.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuhn, T. S. The structure of scientific revolutions. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1962.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuhn T. S. The structure of scientific revolutions (2nd ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1972.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, J. D. ,& Smith, R. L. American sociology and pragmatism: Mead, Chicago sociology, and symbolic interaction. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martindale, D. The nature and types of sociological theory. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1960.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mccarthy, T. The critical theory of Jurgen Habermas. Cambridge: M.I.T. Press, 1978.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mclain, R.,&Weigert, A. Toward a phenomenological sociology of family: A programatic essay. In W. Burr, R. Hill, F. I. Nye,&I. Reiss (Eds.), Contemporary theories about the family (Vol. 2). New York: Free Press, 1979.

    Google Scholar 

  • Merton, R. Social theory and social structure. Glencoe, Ill.: Free Press, 1949.

    Google Scholar 

  • Merton, R. Social theory and social structure (rev. and enlarged ed.). Glencoe, Ill.: Free Press, 1957.

    Google Scholar 

  • Merton, R. Social theory and social structure (enlarged ed.). New York: Free Press, 1968.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mogey, J. Preface. In R. Howard (Ed.), A social history of American family sociology, 1865-1940. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1981.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morgan, W. L. The family meets the Depression: A study of a group of highly selected families. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1939.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nye, F. I. ,& Berardo, F. Emerging conceptual frameworks in family analysis. New York: Macmillan, 1966.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nye, F. I. ,White, L.,&Frideres, J. A preliminary theory of marital stability: Two models. International Journal of Sociology of the Family ,1973, 3(1) ,102–122.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nye, F. I., Carlson, J.,&Garrett, G. Family size, interaction, affect and stress. Journal of Marriage and the Family ,1970, 32 ,216–226.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olson, D. H., Russell, C. S.,&Sprenkle, D. H. Marital and family therapy: A decade review. Journal of Marriage and the Family ,1980, 42(4) ,793–993.

    Google Scholar 

  • Osmond, M. W. Rethinking family sociology from a radical-critical perspective: Applications and implications. Paper presented at NCFR Theory Construction and Research Methodology Workshop, October 1981, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Outhwaite, W. Toward a realist perspective. In G. Morgan (Ed.), Beyond method: Strategies for social research. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications, 1983.

    Google Scholar 

  • Piaget, J. Judgment and reasoning in the child ,ed. and trans. by M. Warden. New York: Harcourt, Brace, and World, 1926. (a)

    Google Scholar 

  • Piaget, J. The language and thought of the child ,ed. and trans. by M. Gabain. London: Routledge&Kegan Paul, 1926. (b)

    Google Scholar 

  • Piaget, J. The child’s conception of the world ,ed. and trans. by J. and A. Tomlinson. New York: Harcourt, Brace, and World, 1929.

    Google Scholar 

  • Piaget J. The moral judgment of the child ,ed. and trans. by M. Gabain. New York: Harcourt, Brace, and World, 1932.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pinsof, W. M. Family therapy process research. In A. S. Gurman&D. P. Kniskern (Eds.), Handbook of family therapy. New York: Brun-ner/Mazel, 1981.

    Google Scholar 

  • Popper, K. Science: Problems, aims, responsibilities. Proceedings of the American Societies for Experimental Biology ,1963, Part 1, No. 4, (July-August), 961–972.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reiss, I. Social context of premarital sexual permissiveness. New York: Holt, Rinehart,&Winston, 1967.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reiss, P., Olson, D. , &antor, D. Planning research on family classification: A discussion of questions posed by current theory and method. Paper presented at NCFR Theory Construction and Research Methodology Workshop, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1983.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodman, H. Are conceptual frameworks necessary for theory building? The case of family sociology. The Sociological Quarterly ,1980, 1(21) ,429–441.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rollins, B. C&Thomas, D. L. Parental support, power, and control techniques in the socialization of children. In W. R. Burr, R. Hill, F. I. Nye,&I. L. Reiss (Eds.), Contemporary theories about the family (Vol. 1). New York: Wiley, 1979.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rossi, P. Methods of social research, 1945-1955. In H. Zetterberg (Ed.), Sociology in the United States of American: A trend report. Paris: UNESCO, 1956.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sensat, J. Habermas and Marxism: An appraisal. Beverly Hills, Calif.: Sage Publications, 1979.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheehan, R., Storm, C. L.,&Sprenkle, D. H. Therapy based on a cybernetic epistemology: Problems and solutions for the researcher. Panel presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, October 1982, Dallas, Texas.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sprey, J. Conflict theory and the study of marriage and the family. In W. Burr, R. Hill, F. I. Nye,&I. Reiss (Eds.), Contemporary theories about the family (Vol. 2). New York: Free Press, 1979.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stinchcombe, A. L. Constructing social theory. New York: Harcourt, Brace, and World, 1968.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stryker, S. Interaction theory: A review and some suggestions for comparative family research. Journal of Comparative Family Study ,1972, 3(1), 17–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Suppe, F. Structure of scientific theories ,(2nd ed.). Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1977.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sussman, M. B. Current states and perspectives of research on the family. Social Science Information ,1968, 7(3), 35–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, D. L.,&Weigert, A. Sociological theory and the family: The problem of fit between form and content. Social Science Information ,1973, 12(April), 139–155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, D. L., Kleber, J. E.,&Galligan, R. Through the glass darkly: Family theory, the new philosophy of science and hermeneutics. Paper presented at NCFR Theory Construction and Research Methodology Workshop, October 21, 1980, Portland, Oregon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolfe,, K. H. The sociology of knowledge and sociological theory. In L. Gross (Ed.), Symposium on Sociological Theory. Evanston, Ill.: Row, Peterson, 1959.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zetterberg, H. L. On theory and verification in sociology (3rd ed.). Totowa, N.J.: Bedminister Press, 1965.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zimmerman, C.,&Frampton, M. Family and society: A study of the sociology of reconstruction. New York: Van Nostrand, 1935.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology and the Family and Demographic Research Institute, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA

    Darwin L. Thomas

  2. Department of Family and Human Development, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA

    Jean Edmondson Wilcox

Authors
  1. Darwin L. Thomas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jean Edmondson Wilcox
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Union Graduate School of the Union Institute, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

    Marvin B. Sussman

  2. Department of Individual and Family Studies, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA

    Marvin B. Sussman  & Suzanne K. Steinmetz  & 

  3. Department of Sociology, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

    Suzanne K. Steinmetz

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1987 Plenum Press, New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Thomas, D.L., Wilcox, J.E. (1987). The Rise of Family Theory. In: Sussman, M.B., Steinmetz, S.K. (eds) Handbook of Marriage and the Family. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-7151-3_4

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-7151-3_4

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4615-7153-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-7151-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation