Temporal Patterning in the Family

The authors propose that time be considered as a variable in family process. Previous theory and research on human temporal patterning and experience are reviewed, and empirical generalizations from an initial pilot study concerned with marital and family members' orientation to "morningness" and "nightness" are presented. Further implications from this work-in-progress are delineated.     

The Missing Triad: The Case of Two-Child Families

Families, as they grow, become more complex in their psychosocial development. They also become more complex in their dyadic/triadic structure through the simple addition of another child. This article traces some of the structural changes that families undergo with the entry of each new child. It also raises several questions about how these very structures may, in turn, influence development of the children. By comparing two- and three-children families with different dyadic/triadic structures, these questions offer some basis for possible future research, as well as some speculation for the clinician.