Communication in Family Contexts

ELIZABETH DORRANCE HALL, PHD, is Assistant Professor in the Communication Department and a Director of the Family Communication and Relationships Lab at Michigan State University. KRISTINA M. SCHARP, PHD, is Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication and a Director of the Family Communication and Relationships Lab at the University of Washington.

• Preface xiMeet the Authors xvMeet the Case Study Contributors xviiAcknowledgments xxiAbout the Companion Website xxiiiChapter 1: An Introduction to Communication in Family Contexts 1Chapter 2: Research Paradigms and Methods that Inform Family Communication Research 7Part I: Theories of Family Communication 17Chapter 3: Affection Exchange Theory 19Chapter 4: Communication Privacy Management Theory 27Chapter 5: Family Communication Patterns Theory 35Chapter 6: Family Systems Theory 43Chapter 7: Narrative Theories 49Chapter 8: Social Cognitive Theory 57Chapter 9: Relational Dialectics Theory 63Part II: Family Communication Processes 75Foundational Processes 77Chapter 10: Caregiving in Families 79Chapter 11: Conflict and Forgiveness 87Chapter 12: Coping and Resilience in Families 101Chapter 13: Difficult Family Conversations 109Chapter 14: Discourse Dependence 119Chapter 15: Family Distancing 127Chapter 16: Information Management and Disclosure in Families 137Chapter 17: Supportive Communication in Families 145Chapter 18: Uncertainty Management 157Major Family Transitions 165Chapter 19: Cohabitation and Marriage 167Chapter 20: Delaying, Forgoing, and Transitioning to Parenthood 175Chapter 21: Divorce and Dissolution 185Chapter 22: Remarriage and Stepfamily Formation 193Part III: Communicating in Family Relationships 201Family and Relationship Types 203Chapter 23: Communication and Adoptive Families 205Chapter 24: In-Law Relationships 215Chapter 25: Intergenerational Relationships 223Chapter 26: LGBTQ Families 235Chapter 27: Parent–Child Relationships 241Chapter 28: Partner Relationships 253Chapter 29: Sibling Relationships 263Chapter 30: Voluntary Kin Families 271Family Communication in Context 275Chapter 31: Family Communication in Health Contexts 277Chapter 32: Family Communication in Organizational Contexts 287Chapter 33: Family Communication in Technological Contexts 299Author Index 311Subject Index 315