The social effects of the instability of the family

Abstract

In this thesis the term 'family' means a human group consisting of father, mother and their offspring, of whom the last named are cared for by the parents until maturity. The term instability of the family implies that, by reason of divorce, desertion or other sufficient cause, the group is disintegrated. And by social effects of the instability of the family is meant the effects upon society of such disintegration. The thesis which I shall attempt to prove has been well stated by one of our foremost social psychologists, when he affirms that "with few exceptions, all who have given serious attention to the question are agreed that the stability of the family is the prime condition of a healthy state of society and of the stability of every community". In short, I shall endeavor to show in the following pages that the social effects of the instability of the family are undesirable.