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This paper describes a conceptual framework for studying the family environment that (1) incorporates recent advances in understanding multiple social influences on behavior; (2) recognizes common and idiosyncratic characteristics of families as social units; (3) identifies research strategies that can be used to assess families; and (4) generates hypotheses about the reasons families function differently. The discussion begins with an exploration of basic issues used to conceptualize the family and its behavior as a unit. Subsequent discussion identifies major domains of family functioning, with the purpose of underscoring the importance of assessing the family environment in terms of its potential contribution to diverse aspects of development. Presented next is a conceptual framework designed to account for variation in the ways in which families function across domains. Four major elements relevant to family functioning are considered: goals, strategies for attaining goals, resources, and individual life experiences. The elements of the conceptual framework are referred to by the acronym, GSRI. After a description of the GSRI model, discussion focuses on the types of variables needed to apply the GSRI framework to a contextual analysis of family functioning, and considers other related methodological issues. The GSRI model is compared to three other approaches: the confluence and circumplex models and dimensional analyses of parenting behavior. (RH)

1Boy Crusoe

By Allan Eric

Also published as" A Yankee Crusoe" . A 15 year old hard working and studious farm boy finds the lure of adventure on the seas as a merchant seaman more than he can resist. This is his story. " I was born in a little town in the State of Maine, near the close of the Civil War. My boyhood life did not differ materially from that of the average farmer's son in the remote country districts of New England--except, perhaps, that I read more and thought more. Hard work on the rugged soil, two terms each year in the little yellow country schoolhouse, a day's fishing now and then filled the early years of my life full to over-flowing. " What he gets is enough excitement and adventure to overflow his wildest dreams. How he experiences disaster and uses his wits and knowledge to overcome every problem makes for a great read. - Summary by Phil Chenevert