First published in 1983

This is Volume 1 of two in a collection of on stress and the family. The book's view the family as both producing and reacting to stress and attempt to identify the sources of stress from either inside or outside the family microsystem.

Further, the volumes distinguish between sudden, unpredictable, and overwhelming catastrophic stress and the more normal, gradual, and cumulative life stressors encountered over the life span. Moreover, the series brings into focus several rich perspectives which effectively integrate the hundreds of generalizations about the functional and dysfunctional methods family members use to cope with stress.