Family Strengths and Challenges in the USA

Abstract

Families in the United States are faced with many challenges both within the family and in the social environment. To balance this discussion of challenges, an exploration of how the strengths of families and couples—their positive abilities and attitudes toward life and each other—help to create an intimate family environment in which love, satisfaction, happiness, and comfort predominate. The discussion will focus on the work of two research teams whose work led to the development of the International Family Strengths Model by Stinnett, DeFrain, and their colleagues, and the development of the Couple and Family Systems Model (also known as the Circumplex Model) developed by Olson and his colleagues. Outcomes point out that though it is clearly important to learn and acknowledge dysfunction, it is also of utmost importance that we learn about family and couple strengths to develop models of family dynamics that lead people to more satisfying relationships.

Key Words:

• Affection
• appreciation
• Circumplex Model
• Couple and Family Systems Model
• couple flexibility
• couple closeness
• couple communication
• commitment
• family
• International Family Strengths Model
• spiritual well-being
• stress
• crisis