Sibling Relationships in Step Families. A Sociological Study

“. . . provides tools for everyone who is part of a stepfamily. Monique Diderich demonstrates that children of divorce are resilient and can cope with their parents’ divorce and become healthy adults. Furthermore, her message is that stepfamilies can overcome hurdles and become as ‘normal’ as traditional nuclear families where adults are, despite strife and sometimes enmity, also very loving of family in general and siblings in particular.” – Prof. Veronica Manlow, Brooklyn College

“. . . engaging and persuasive. . . . I found numerous elements compelling as someone who has experienced half-, full-, and step- siblings and the remarriages of both parents.” – Prof. Karla Hackstaff, Northern Arizona University

"A must read for anyone who claims to be a family scholar as well as for students and laypersons who want an inclusive understanding of contemporary families." - Prof. Victoria Hilkevitch Bedford, University of Indianapolis

This study relies on three sources of data: observations in a series of Blended Family Workshops; a ‘Family of Orientation’ assignment in which college students reflect upon their siblings and the family in which they were raised; and the General Social Survey (1986, 1994, and 2002). The results demonstrate that high divorce and remarriage rates have created a more fluid definition of kinship.

Foreword by Prof. Veronica Manlow
Acknowledgements
1. American Families
2. Classical and Contemporary Views on Marriage
3. Sibling Relationships
4. Methods of Sociological Inquiry
5. Results
6. Conclusion and Discussion
References
Index

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