Creating Love and Respect in Families

Creating Love and Respect in Families reports findings from a 40-year research project which involved studying families in the U.S. and Japan; a total of 247 families were involved. This book is about the author's journey to learn about more and less healthy families, how those families affect the development of children, and the degree to which those influences persist into adulthood. The research focuses on affection and respect in families and how family patterns are reflected in the lives of family members, particularly children. Cultural similarities and differences between the U.S. and Japan are explored. Healthy families demonstrate both affection and validation, both love, and respect for individuality. Children are allowed to express their own ideas and feelings. Love doesn't have to mean agreement. Family patterns affect friendship patterns. The influence of family health during adolescence can be seen in the personal maturity of the adolescents. Family influence is still apparent in the lives and personal well-being of the grown children, in their relationships with their elder parents, and even in the families they create as parents. The book also includes a study of the parents' marriages through time, an overview of family systems, and a projective exercise for describing family systems.