Persistent themes: a naturalistic study of personality development in the family

This pilot longitudinal study of normal children and their families examines the associations noted between behaviors appearing in early childhood and concerns expressed by the same youngster fifteen years later. These concerns were seen to be related to continuing transactions around a particular issue within the family system. A case description of the evolution of the particular patterns of one of the family systems studied and the details of their recurring negotiations includes an examination of two subsystems of the family unit: the mother-infant pair and the parenting couple. The impact of this family system's struggle upon the developing youngster and her personality as a late adolescent is discussed.