Biosocial Foundations of Family Processes

Biosocial Research Contributions to Family Processes and Problems, based on the 17th annual National Symposium on Family Issues, examines biosocial models and processes in the context of the family. Research on both biological and social/environmental influences on behavior, health, and development is represented, including behavioral endocrinology, behavior genetics, neuroscience, evolutionary psychology, sociology, demography, anthropology, economics, and psychology. The authors consider physiological and social environmental influences on parenting and early childhood development, followed by adolescent adjustment, and family formation. Also, factors that influence how families adapt to social inequalities are examined.

Genes and environment. Biology and behavior. Nature and nurture. The terminology may be clear-cut, but the processes themselves are far from simple: unlike the direct cause-and-effect dichotomies of past frameworks, researchers now recognize these family-based connections as multifaceted, transactional, and emergent.

Biosocial Foundations of Family Processes aims at illuminating a multiplicity of approaches and methodologies for studying family dynamics, to match the complex interplay of physiological factors, environmental challenges, and behavioral adaptations that characterize family life and development. Chapters illustrate physical and social influences on parenting, childhood, adolescence, fertility, and family formation, providing analytical frameworks for understanding key areas such as family behavior, health, development, and adaptation to contextual stressors.

Highlights of the coverage: •Motherhood and fatherhood as seen through psychobiological and functional perspectives •The importance of the phenotype in studies of gene/environment interactions •Adolescence: genes, hormones, and family behavior •Psychological adaptation and human mating strategies •Family resources, genes, and human development •Social inequities, family relationships, and child health

A book that explains the present while charting the future study of its subject, Biosocial Foundations of Family Processes is provocative reading for researchers in family relations, family sociology, psychology, and public health, and may hold particular interest for policymakers.