This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by NAUCK, B. Articles by SCHWENK, O. G. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Did Societal Transformation Destroy the Social Networks of Families in East Germany?

Chemnitz University of Technology, Germany

OTTO G. SCHWENK

Chemnitz University of Technology, Germany

Two sets of survey data from East and West Germany in 1988 to 1990 and in 1996, containing information about the structure of ego-centered networks of parents living together with at least one child, are used to test empirically whether the structure of the social networks have changed during the transformation period. Contrary to what is commonly believed by the East German population and what is a main theme in the public discourse, where both a feeling of network erosion and of collapsing social relationships prevails, the empirical findings show (a) only slight differences between East and West Germany and (b) a simultaneous change in the network structure in both parts of Germany, which can thus not be attributed to the political transformation process. The results demonstrate the need for a comparative approach in transformation research and support previous findings from family research on the disintegration of family microstructures from political systems.

American Behavioral Scientist, Vol. 44, No. 11, 1864-1878 (2001)
DOI: 10.1177/00027640121958195


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				L. Bernardi, S. Keim, and H. von der Lippe Social Influences on Fertility: A Comparative Mixed Methods Study in Eastern and Western Germany Journal of Mixed Methods Research, January 1, 2007; 1(1): 23 - 47. [Abstract] [PDF]

				G. J. Westerhof and C. L. M. Keyes After the fall of the berlin wall: perceptions and consequences of stability and change among middle-aged and older East and west germans. J. Gerontol. B. Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci., September 1, 2006; 61(5): S240 - S247. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. Nauck and J. Suckow Intergenerational Relationships in Cross-Cultural Comparison: How Social Networks Frame Intergenerational Relations Between Mothers and Grandmothers in Japan, Korea, China, Indonesia, Israel, Germany, and Turkey Journal of Family Issues, August 1, 2006; 27(8): 1159 - 1185. [Abstract] [PDF]

				M. Pinquart, R. K. Silbereisen, and L. P. Juang Changes in Psychological Distress among East German Adolescents Facing German Unification: The Role of Commitment to the Old System and of Self-Efficacy Beliefs Youth Society, September 1, 2004; 36(1): 77 - 101. [Abstract] [PDF]

				H. Uhlendorff After the Wall: Parental attitudes to child rearing in East and West Germany International Journal of Behavioral Development, January 1, 2004; 28(1): 71 - 82. [Abstract] [PDF]

				R. K. SILBEREISEN and J. YOUNISS Introduction American Behavioral Scientist, July 1, 2001; 44(11): 1788 - 1797. [PDF]