The family, its difficulties and failures are traditional areas of study for psychologists. But one aspect remains little known: what is it that makes a family successful? What makes a marriage last? Despite the difficulties they encounter, some families develop harmoniously. What factors can we attribute their success to? What are the means used by the members of a successful family to build lasting relations with one another and to confront life’s trials and difficulties together?
The positive view of the family that the author gives us here breaks with the prevailing alarmist outlook. He argues that happiness within the family is possible. He provides an analysis of the creative skills that the vast majority of families possess, often unknowingly.
The advice and practical information given here will help families use their own resources to the best of their abilities, so as to resolve the problems they encounter.

Pierre Angel is a psychiatrist, psychotherapist and professor of clinical and pathological psychology at the University of Paris-VIII. One of France’s most eminent family and systemic therapists, he is the founder and long-time director of the Monceau Family Therapy Centre, in Paris, and the author of more than twenty works on family problems.