Authors: Mancini, JA; O'Neal, CW; Martin, JA; Bowen, GL
Source: JOURNAL OF FAMILY THEORY & REVIEW, 10 (3):550-565; SI 10.1111/jftr.12271 SEP 2018
Abstract: The social organization theory of action and change accounts for transitions families face in community contexts. This perspective aligns with family stress and resilience theories, including the contextual model of family stress. Our discussion focuses on transitions of military families, including the continually changing nature of military family life. The military environment provides an opportunity for understanding family vulnerability and resilience from a community perspective, in effect, a perspective centered on contexts. Contexts include matters that families have control over and those they are unable to affect. The roles of shared responsibility and collective competence in moving families and communities forward are discussed, as are pivotal roles of informal networks and formal systems. Findings that align with this theorizing include influence of the military system and culture on families, as well as how sense of community emerges as a pivotal factor for family well-being.