This revised and updated introductory textbook presents an accessible, interdisciplinary account of how 'the family' is constituted in the 'public' and 'private' spheres.Drawing on a wide range of theoretical perspectives from sociology, social policy, psychology and psychoanalysis, this book critically examines assumptions about 'the family' that are embedded in social policy, law and political discourse. The textbook outlines the tensions that exist between such assumptions and the lived realities and everyday experiences of family life. Understanding the Family shows how dominant understandings of the family have failed to recognize a marked diversity of family forms in contemporary society, and also ignored the complex and myriad ways in which family life is experienced. This textbook provides an integrated and accessible set of teaching materials, which will encourage students to develop a clear and critical understanding of the family in contemporary society. Students and academics in sociology, psychology and social policy.