Primary Life Patterns as an Object of Study:

This paper reviews over a thousand studies, from sev- eral disciplines, in the field of family research in the Netherlands. The paper employs the concept of Primary Life Patterns in order to account for diverse arrangements that may be investigated by family scholars. Over-abundance of applied research studies results from the Dutch emphasis on policy. While various disciplines engage in family research, few discussions or debates are published con- cerning diversity in theoretical orientations or the need for cross-dis- ciplinary collaborations.