Chapter 10 Outline

  1. Contrary to the myth of the ideal family, family communication systems are far from perfect; yet families provides a sense of permanence in an otherwise changing world.
    1. No single definition of "family" is all-encompassing, but the idea of the family as a "network of people who live together over long periods of time bound by ties of marriage, blood, or commitment, legal or otherwise" (Galvin and Brommel, 1982) captures a good slice of what we mean by the concept.
    2. Families can be thought of as systems of elements that operate together, producing communication patterns that either facilitate or inhibit members from adapting to the internal crises and external influences.
      1. Like all systems, families are characterized by structure, function and evolution.
      2. Typical structures define power distribution, methods of decision-making, and interaction patterns.
        1. Power or authority structures indicate who gets to exert the greatest influence on the behavior of other members.
        2. Decision-making structures reflect how family decisions are made, whether by authority, consensus, accommodation, or de facto.
        3. Interaction structures show who talks to whom about what.
        4. Family structures are not static; they typically change as members take on or negotiate different roles, as boundaries shift, and as crises are encountered.
      3. Family systems serve a variety of functions that enable them to survive, thrive, or adapt to larger social and cultural phenomena.
        1. Internal functions include providing care, socializing members to family rules and values, intellectual development, recreation, and providing emotional support to members.
        2. External functions include transmission of cultural values and accommodation to societal changes.
  2. Like all systems, families evolve over time.
    1. Family life cycles involve fairly predictable stages, including:
      1. Marriage prior to children
      2. Family with preschool children
      3. Family with school-age children
      4. Family with adolescents
      5. Launching stage, as young adults begin leave home (e.g., first job, college)
      6. Empty nest, life after children leave home permanently
      7. Retirement years
  3. In addition to internal cycles, external stressors can produce changes within the family unit (e.g., loss of job, poor performance at school, changing neighborhoods).
  4. Other factors, such as divorce, separation, death, or illness, can produce sudden changes that alter the typical family life cycle.
  5. Coping with internal and external forces of change is important for the family system to maintain itself.
    1. Anticipating some of the more predictable changes helps smooth the transitions between stages in the family life cycle, for instance.
    2. Encouraging observable indicators of family cohesiveness (interdependent behaviors) helps families weather crises.
    3. Remaining adaptable also helps families try new approaches and avoid ruts in family routines.
    4. Embedding the family in larger social networks means that there will be external resources (e.g., church, temple, or mosque; friends of the family) to turn to for help in times of trouble.
  6. Family structures and functions develop and are maintained by the communication patterns that emerge in daily life.
    1. Family-wide communication patterns shape family life in significant ways.
      1. Through communication, families establish regulative and constitutive rules to guide interaction.
      2. Family themes and identities emerge in all families.
    2. Research indicates a variety of patterns associated with various subsystems.
      1. In the husband/wife subsystem, different types of couples have been identified. Traditional, separate, independent, and separate/traditional couples differ in satisfaction with the marriage, how conflicts are managed, and how life cycle changes are experienced.
      2. In the parent/child subsystem research has focused on types of parental discipline (use of support, control, and power messages and induction strategies) as well as changes in communication patterns as children get older.
      3. In the sibling subsystem, research shows sibling relationships tend to be strongest in childhood, wane somewhat in middle adulthood, and often regain significance in old age.
  7. The patterns of family life taken for granted today have not always existed.
    1. The ideal, or modal, family has changed over time.
      1. In Colonial times the godly family was the ideal; children were considered miniature adults in need of discipline.
      2. In the l9th century, the democratic family was the ideal; rather than breaking the will of the child, mothers now focused on preparing the child to be a good citizen.
      3. In the 20th century, the companionate family became the ideal; children and parents were pals.
    2. The image of the modal family continues to evolve today.
  8. The development of comforting skills are an important way one can improve overall family communication.
    1. Comforting refers to "trying to alleviate, moderate, or salve the distressed emotional state of another person" (Burleson, 1984).
    2. Successful comforting requires one to adopt an other-centered approach.
    3. Another effective strategy is to compose messages that are evaluatively neutral (describing behaviors, feelings, and situations rather than evaluating them).
    4. Comforting can be enhanced by carefully putting events feelings and perspective for the other.
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