Secrets of Strong Families [Hardcover]

Nick Stinnett (Author), John Defrain (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This study derives from the University of Nebraska's Family Strength Research Project, begun in 1977 by author-researchers DeFrain and Stinnett, who are also college educators and counselors. They use excerpts from 3000 questionnaires to discuss and illustrate six qualities they pinpoint as basic to strong families: appreciation, commitment, communication, time spent together, spiritual wellness, and coping ability. Overall, the material is clear and useful but unexciting. Also, for the layperson, the scholarly bibliography citing journal articles, dissertations, and theses (there are only two popular references) drastically limits follow-up. Recommended for marriage and family collections because of its "project" affiliation. Serialization in Good Housekeeping . Janice Arenofsky, formerly with Arizona State Lib., Phoenix
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 196 pages
• Publisher: Little Brown & Co (T); 1st edition (January 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316816302
• ISBN-13: 978-0316816304
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,546,126 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Get the Secret Out!, February 25, 2012

By 

Bradley P. Hayton - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Secrets of Strong Families (Hardcover)

Since divorce is drastically increasing in America and even among Christians, it is imperative to know the secrets of strong families, families that stay and grow together. Stinnett and DeFrain launched the Family Strengths Research Project at Oklahoma State University and the University of Nebraska to analyze the strengths of healthy families, rather than broken, fragmented families. Their population includes 80% from the United States, 30% rural, 70% urban, from all economic levels, two-parent and single-parent families, black and white, from all educational levels, of many religious persuasions, and from the early twenties to the mid-sixties in age. They found that strong families share six major qualities: commitment, appreciation, communication, time spent together, shared spiritual wellness, and the ability to cope with stress and crisis.

This book goes directly against the cultural bias of the self-esteem movement and narcissistic hedonism, let alone feminism, materialism, and careerism. It is for sexual exclusiveness, monogamy, and sexual faithfulness. The book is full of quotes from the lives, revelations, and advice of strong families. It is like a modern Letters to Karen or Letters to Phillip in its no-nonsense advice. Premarital or marital counseling clients will find this volume extremely beneficial. My only qualification is that it tends to define "spirituality" in more humanistic, Fowlerian terms.