Chapter 2

1.) The chapter opens by summarizing the value of theories and research, specifically in our everyday lives. Benokraitis stresses the importance of being well informed and asking the right questions. Benokraitis also explains how theories and research can help us make educated decisions and better our lives. Next, the chapter explains eight of the best known theoretical perspectives on families, discusses how each theory views the family, and several examples of how each theory is often criticized. This section is followed by a discussion of the different types of research methods that social scientists use. Six major methods are surveys, clinical research, field research, secondary analysis, experiments, and evaluations research. The chapter concludes with a brief summary of the importance of ethics and protecting research participants.

2.) Being that I am a psychology major and sociology minor, I am well aware of the importance of ethics and the various ways that research is conducted. I am also familiar with the numerous theoretical perspectives of the family. Even though this information is not new to me, it was still a helpful review. I did find the discussion on self-help books interesting though. I, for one, am quick to search for any symptoms I may be having on WebMd, read the latest books and articles on diet and beauty, and try to ‘self-help’ whenever there something is going wrong in my life. However, this article has taught me to be more wary of what I read.

3.) As I was reading I found myself questioning which theory best applies to my family. I found it difficult to apply just one and I can see why researchers and clinicians often combine several theories when evaluating data or treating families. However, I feel that there has to be a simpler way to theorize the family than having so many different theories with different perspectives and ideas and expecting one to apply to all families.

Julie Vandervort