Research efforts in several different disciplines concerned with the psychosocial development of adolescents are beginning to converge in their focus both on the role of relationships in the development of the individual and on the contribution of that development to the quality of the individual's relationships. These efforts are being conducted by a cohort of investigators in such diverse disciplines as developmental psychology, psychiatry, family therapy, and sociology in an attempt to understand the interface between several aspects of adolescent psychosocial development and family relationships in which the adolescent participates. The chapters in this volume of New Directions for Child Development highlight findings from several of these efforts. The goal of this volume is to bring into focus both the similarities and the differences among these investigations in order to enhance the cumulative nature of research evidence
emerging in this area.