Family re‐formation after dissolution of first marriage is conceptualised in terms of a process involving four stages: 1. The first marriage and its dissolution 2. The divorced family 3. Re‐partnering 4. Achieving family solidarity.It is asserted that the primary conditions for the successful formation of a second family are that the emotional divorce from the first spouse be completed, and that the second family be conceptualised differently from the first. The most important task of the new family is to integrate the members of two former families. Those families which are able to promote flexibility of boundaries within the new system have a greater chance of succ