The focus is on the life cycles of families and represents the normative stages of family development. It helps to understand the normal expected stresses that families experience as they change and transition over time. According to Stanhope & Lancaster (2014), this theory helps nurses anticipate the stress families may experience based on the stage of the family life cycle and whether the family is experiencing these changes “in time” or “out of time.” . Nurses can also use these predictable stresses to identify family strengths in adapting to changes (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2014, p..