Olaf Reis describes, using the example of German reunification, how social change affects families, how they cope with it, and how it influences the relationship between generations. The study processes data from three decades, ranging from the start of the Rostock longitudinal study in 1970 to interviews conducted in 1998. It shows that the generational relationship between children and parents is determined by their conflicts, but also by the relationship between family and society, referred to here as a "niche." Families develop and maintain their identity by constructing and balancing their relationships with societal institutions along the dimensions of "connection" and "separation" – by building a niche. Similarly, children construct their relationship with their parents along the same dimensions. In this way, individuals and families regulate themselves.