See Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Theory

"Principles used to explain and/or understand internal aspects of coping (cognitions and emotions)”

A theory is "a set of ideas that serves as a framework for understanding the world around us."

Survivor theory contends that intimate partner violence victims actively engage in strategies to keep themselves safe in their relationships.

“A limit in the ability to understand things from another person’s point of view.”

Attachment theory proposes that the attachment style between the primary caregiver (most often the mother) and the child influences the child's peer and romantic relationship quality later in life. Attachment depends upon the child's sense of safety and security, which is ultimately determined by the warmth and responsiveness shown by the caregiver.

Boundary theory is the theory of social classification which suggests that people construct physical and mental boundaries to separate work roles from family roles and to ease the frequency of transition between these roles.

The broaden-and-build theory proposes that positive emotions lead individuals to develop and broaden their social mindset, thus leading to the improvement of social bonds and resources for coping and survival.

“A body of theoretical work that describes family system experiences of crisis (both normative and nonnormative) and the ways in which the family identifies resources, challenges, and strengths in coping strategies and coordinates efforts to maintain or regain coherence and resilience.”

Ecological resilience refers to the extent to which a family can resist disturbance without resulting in structural changes, or how long it takes for resilience to mediate the transition back to stability after a disturbance occurs.

Family stress and resilience theory investigates how families respond to stressors, and how family resilience may prevent these reactions from being negative.

Family systems theory examines the relationships between subsystems (2-3 members) within a family. These subsystems all communicate with one another under a family hierarchy.