Abstract
Family development theory sensitizes users to a variety of family-oriented ideas that provide an organized approach to the pursuit of knowledge about families with adolescents. Great attention is paid to the normal and typical experiences and events contained within this family life cycle stage. The conceptual attractiveness and practical utility of this approach is evidenced in its widespread use in the family science and family therapy literatures. In the present chapter, particular consideration is given to the main theme of boundary flexibility and associated developmental tasks (or second-order changes), as well as the timing of roles and events that take place within this developmental period. Critiques of the family developmental approach are covered as well, including current limitations associated with its empirical utility, as well as questions that have been raised about its generalizability to families with adolescents living both in contemporary Western society and in other cultures.
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Gavazzi, S.M. (2011). Family Development Theory. In: Families with Adolescents. Advancing Responsible Adolescent Development. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8246-9_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8246-9_3
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