Central in the development of this book is the issue of stability and instability in the family life of black people. A background section on the social facts of family life, which for the most part includes historical, demographic, and ecological data, is presented. Additional chapters discuss: (1) how marital stability can be used as a social indicator; (2) historical trends in marital status among black people; and, (3) variations in marital stability by income, occupation, education, and race. The multitudinous variations and adaptations among black people in America and the consequences for children who have experienced these varying conditions of existence are presented. The book is concluded by returning to the initial question, "Is the black family in contemporary America crumbling?" The final part of the book casts doubt upon the hypothesis of social breakdown and goes on to indicate conditions under which it might or might not occur in different racial populations. (Author/JM)