Family Communication: Cohesion and Change (7th Edition)

Family Communication: Cohesion and Change examines the communication processes within families and how they affect and are affected by larger social systems.

By viewing the family as a communication system with identifiable patterns, the authors encourage the reader to observe family interaction patterns analytically and relate communication theories to family interaction. Using a framework of family functions, first-person narratives, and current research, Family Communication: Cohesion and Change emphasizes the diversity of today's families in terms of structure, ethnic patterns, and developmental experiences.

Family Communication: Cohesion and Change, 7/e

Kathleen M. Galvin, Northwestern University

Carma L. Bylund, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Bernard J. Brommel, Northeastern Illinois University

Family Communication: Cohesion and Change examines the communication processes within families and how they affect and are affected by larger social systems.

By viewing the family as a communication system with identifiable patterns, the authors encourage students to observe family interaction patterns analytically and relate communication theories to family interaction. Using a framework of family functions, first-person narratives, and current research, Family Communication: Cohesion and Change emphasizes the diversity of today's families in terms of structure, ethnic patterns, and developmental experiences.

Features:

• Includes research on sibling relations, divorce, remarriage, and family violence.
• Features discussions of the most common issues and current trends in the field including religion, economics, jealousy, abuse, family well-being, and multigenerational families.
• Emphasizes the enormous diversity of families today in terms of both structure and cultural heritage.
• Explains theoretical structures clearly — including systems theory, dialectical theory, and symbolic interaction.
• Develops in detail the concept of family narratives and family rituals as creators of meaning in family communication, a concept to which all students can relate.
• Offers a unique emphasis on power and decision making through a decision-making model and coverage of abusive conflict patterns.

New to This Edition:

• Introduces the concept of discourse-dependent families, so students gain an understanding of how family identity is increasingly constructed through language.
• Includes a new section on communication and family well-being to help students appreciate the profound effects of family interactions on physical and mental health.
• Reduces the emphasis on general interpersonal communication so students spend less time reviewing concepts with which they are already familiar.
• Links the home environment to media usage (Chapter 12), so students comprehend the influence that different media can have on families, depending on the expertise of individual members.