TY  - BOOK
AU  - Peterson del Mar,David
TI  - The American family: from obligation to freedom 
SN  - 9780230337442 (hardback)
AV  - HQ535 .P48 2011
U1  - 306.850973 23
PY  - 2011///
CY  - New York
PB  - Palgrave Macmillan
KW  - Families
KW  - United States
KW  - History
N1  - Includes bibliographical references and index
N2  - "This book traces the movement from mutualism to individualism in the context of American family life. Throughout American history, families survived or even flourished during colonization, the Revolution, slavery, the industrial revolution, immigration, and economic upheaval because reliance on others was patently necessary. But in the past century, unprecedented prosperity both freed Americans from mutual dependence and created a culture devoted to the pursuit of pleasure and individual fulfilment. This shift from obligation to freedom has turned the maintenance of durable, rewarding families into a countercultural act, one that requires a conscious decision to qualify the American commitment to freedom"--
ER  -