This monograph contains several commissioned papers which attest to the significance of the family perspective in the understanding, treatment, and prevention of drug abuse. Papers discussing the fundamentals of a conceptual framework for the family perspective are followed by a review of theories of family growth and development, structure, function, and dysfunction, including reports of supporting research and case materials. Policy considerations for local treatment programs, state and federal initiatives, and the professional community are discussed. The monograph concludes with conceptual shifts and subsequent proposals that may institutionalize new ways of thinking about dysfunctional behavior. A report of the Office of Program Development and Analysis on the practice of primary prevention in family therapeutic work is included. A recurring theme throughout these papers is the supposition that specific family-related antecedents are associated with specific problematic behavior, that certain generic family factors are associated with dysfunctional behavior, and that investigations of the apparent commonalities would be useful. (Author/NRB)