ABSTRACT
American families in the ideal are cooperative units, headed by two parents with two or more children (Davis, 1983), that function to protect their members from danger, to ensure an adequate food supply, to provide children with the opportunity to learn the skills of their culture, and to share leisure time together. In addition to these general task functions of a family group, group maintenance skills and attitudes are required to keep the social functioning of the family unit oriented toward achieving these tasks. The relevance of family functioning for children's functioning with peers is seen in how families operate to achieve the requirements for the family's group maintenance and task functions.
