This text presents a different approach to understanding the family unit and how and why it functions as it does. The approach focuses on the cognitions of family members and how these, in turn, shape individuals' behaviour and the functioning of the family system.

Featuring excerpts of essays collected from over one thousand young adults while in the throes of divorce, this book paints a picture of the pain and the hope shown by the storytellers. By framing the narratives with an analysis of the most recent divorce literature, the authors provide readers with a greater and more vivid understanding of the effects of divorce.

Challenging the contention that most children will be irretrievably hurt by their parents' divorce, some stories clearly demonstrate the strength and resilience many have learned in dealing with a divorce in the family....