Toward a Conception of West German Family Life and Socialization during the Postwar Years

The founding of the Academy for Economics & Politics in postwar Hamburg & the rebirth of a German sociology of the family are related. The need to employ concrete observation & investigation & to test US generalizations about authoritarianism in the German family are cited as initial impulses for research. The methods for gathering & analyzing data are described. Some accomplishments include: (1) insight into processes of change in family structure; (2) precise description of family structures, with less reliance on ideal types; (3) critical discussion of re-emerging German sociology; (4) documentation of the trend away from patriarchy; (5) study of pressures on families forced to be self-reliant; (6) revelation of the core family's capacity to function as self-help in times of crisis; & (7) participation in public debates about new directions in the government's family policy. J. Anderson