The authors test Levi-Strauss' theory of the avunculate, a special relationship between a mother's brother and his sister's son. They critique the theory on the grounds that many societies have a special relationship that could be called the avunculate but lack the other relationships predicted by Levi-Strauss.

This article examines parent-in-law avoidance in non-industrial societies. The author suggests that in-law avoidance is associated with characteristics of kinship structure, such as lineality, residence and family type. A psychological interpretation is also offered. Results support hypotheses relating to kinship structure.

This book is a comprehensive analysis of many aspects of social structure including family, clan, community, kinship terminology, social organization, regulation of sex, incest taboos, and sexual choice.

This book examines male and female power in various kinship configurations. Variables for male dominance and female autonomy are associated with various political and social variables, such as political complexity and co-wife jealousy. Several hypotheses are supported.

This paper examines the behavior between close kin and affines of the opposite sex. The authors "point to certain differences between continental areas that are related to specific social factors, including the structure of descent groups and the nature of marriage arrangements."

This article discusses the role of the mother's brother. Results suggest that role of the mother's brother is associated with descent and residence.

Heider's theory of cognitive balance is applied to Levi-Strauss' discussion of the sentiment relations existing among four kin roles.

This article explores narcissism and child-rearing. The author presents a theory that, if a society’s structural pattern weakens the marital bond, the mother will be ambivalent toward the son who consequently will become narcissistic. This process would reinforce itself as it is repeated by each generation.

In a volume devoted to the understanding of the American family, the author, using data from 56 societies, tests a couple of hypotheses about role differentiation in the nuclear family.

This article uses factor analysis to identify the key variables underlying the many cross-cultural associations reported by Textor (1967). Twelve factors are identified.