Family Communication: Cohesion and Change

blended family

A household or family unit created by one male and one female and the children from their previous marriages and may include children from the present marriage.

committed partners

may include married couples who choose to remain child free or are infertile, cohabiting heterosexual couples, and gay male or lesbian partners who consider themselves a family

constitutive approach

communication can create or bring into existence something that has not been there before; in talk itself to create something new

discourse-dependent family

families who depend on communication to define themselves; the more members rely on communication strategies for external or internal boundary management

external boundary management

involves utilizing communication strategies to reveal or conceal information about the family to outsiders; strategies include labeling, explaining, legitimizing, and defending

family

A group of intimates who through their communication generates a sense of home and group identity, complete with strong ties of loyalty and emotion and experience a history and a future.

family of origin

The family in which one grows up, usually consisting of parents and siblings

internal boundary management

refers to the use of communication strategies to maintain members' internal sense of we-ness; strategies include naming, discussing, narrating, and ritualizing

legitimizing

establishing the legitimacy of a request by appealing to authority or pointing out its consistency with existing values or norms.

open adoption

a type of adoption that involves direct contact between the biological and adoptive parents

primary parent system

Parent who takes full responsibility for meeting the child's physical and emotional needs by providing the major part of the child's care directly or by managing the child's care by others or both.

relationship flourishing

reflects the current focus on well-functioning families that exhibit relationship strengths and how they harness such strength in face of life's stresses; characteristics include intimacy, growth, and resilience, as well as a balance between focusing on family relationships and engaging the larger community

co-construction of meaning

permits learner to plan, choose, and evaluate knowledge in relation to personal needs and goals

cohesion

Emotional bonding and feelings of togetherness that families experience

communication

Any means by which an individual relates experiences, ideas, knowledge, and feelings to another; includes speech, sign language, body language, gestures, writing; the process by which meanings are exchanged between individuals through a system of symbols.

family images

metaphors used to describe relationship communication patterns. Represent the family's worldview as they represent the family which create identity and boundaries. (i.e. my family is like a circus)

flexibility

Ability to adapt to new circumstances.

intergenerational transmission

transfer of information from older generations to new the generation by means of relational processes.

metacommunication

Communication about the process of communication itself.

primary functions

(1) cohesion and (2)adaptability form a framework in which to view communication within various types of family systems.

relational dialectics

Seemingly opposing forces (openness-closedness, autonomy-connection, and novelty-predictability) that occur in all interpersonal relationships

secondary functions

supporting functions that give shape to family life: (1) family images (2)family themes (3) boundaries and (4) biosocial issues.

transactional communication

A dynamic process created by the participants through their interaction with one another.

perspective

A mental view or outlook.

boundary rule formation

factors that regulate the flow of information between and among others. Relies on six criteria (culture, self-esteem, gender, motivation, context, and the risk/reward ratio).

dialectical tensions

Relational tensions that arise when two opposing or incompatible forces exist simultaneously

equifinity

concept that there are many different ways by which a system may reach the same end state

family system

Family viewed as a system that continually interacts with its members and environments; focuses on interactions and the changes they exert

interactional complexity

perspective that analyzes specific behavior patterns in terms of the interpersonal context in which they occur and to understand their meaning in light of the entire family system.

interdependence

parts are so interrelated as to be dependent on each other for their functioning. (stipulates if one member fails/succeeds, the entire system will feel the effects.)

narrative coherence

all parts of the story are present and fit together.

narrative fidelity

implies that a story needs direct ties to social reality in order to resonate with listeners' personal experiences and beliefs.

punctuation

the interruption of the sequence behavior at intervals in order to give meaning or to indicate that "things started here".

social constructionism

a view that says that much if not all of what we know and understand about the world, including scientific knowledge, is constructed through out social interactions and language.

symbolic interaction

A theoretical perspective in which society is viewed as composed of symbols that people use to establish meaning, develop their views of the world, and communicate with one another.

Attunement

Positive behaviors with the fetus during pregnancy such as warmth, interest, and connection.

Developmental stages F

Which are critical periods of change (also called life stages) from birth until death

Digital Natives

A term referring to children who are born into a culture surrounded with devices and Internet connectively present in many aspects of daily life.

Family privilege

which refers to benefits received by those who belong to family systems perceived or society as superior, highlights how non-white families face barriers has on historical legacies of racism and discrimination.

Individuation

A process occurring during adolescence in which individuals separate from early family and childhood identities to develop and express a unique personal identity.

Life-course perspective

appearances which focuses on how different trajectories and transitions are induce winner). by the ways that families develop and change at various times.

“On-Time” Events

events fit the patterns we expect in at a given culture, whereas

“Off-Time” Events

Events differ from society's expectations.

Vertical Stressors

Issues affecting families that stem from issues enabled in the community and larger society (e.g., racism, sexism, clay , ageism, anti-LGBTQIA+ sentiment).

Horizontal Stressors

are the issues that unfold overtime, such as the developmental transitions we have covered so far in this chapter.

Family cohesion adaptability axes.