Social Strain of Probate*

Probate coincides with changes in the relational system of a family, and often affects the distribution of status and power among kin.¹All too often, however, existing approaches to inheritance tend either to interpret the experience in strictly psychological terms, or to equate patterns of estate partition with demographic or structural change. A systems approach can help modify such interpretations by focusing on the interrelations among beneficiaries and, in some cases, disinherited members of the family. The settlement of estates can provide new applications of the systems approach both for family researchers and family therapists.