Widening the Family Circle: New Research on Family Communication

Abstract

Introduction: On the Breadth of Family Experience - Kory Floyd and Mark T. Morman What We Know and Don't Know about Communication in Family Relationships Widening the Circle of Family Communication Part A: Family-of-Origin Relationships Introduction - Kory Floyd and Mark T. Morman 1. Communication Over the Life Span: The Mother-Adult Daughter Relationship - Michelle Miller-Day and Carla Fisher Communication and Connection in Mother-Adult Daughter Relationships Unique Patterns of Communicating Dialectics Turning Points Conclusion 2. Communication among Peers: Adult Sibling Relationships - Alan Mikkelson Unique Characteristics of the Sibling Relationship Different Types of Sibling Relationships Communication in Adult Sibling Relationships Communication Behaviors among Adult Siblings Conclusion 3. The Good Son: Men's Perceptions of the Characteristics of Sonhood - Mark T. Morman and Kory Floyd The Role of Son The Good Son Study Conclusion Commentary on Part A - Anita L. Vangelisti Part B: Extended Family Relationships Introduction - Kory Floyd and Mark T. Morman 4. Friends and Allies: Communication in Grandparent-Grandchild Relationships - Jordan Eli Soliz, Mei-Chen Lin, Karen Anderson, and Jake Harwood The Lack of Attention to Grandparental Relationships Communicative Opportunities and Challenges What Do We Know about Grandparent-Grandchild Communication? What's Left to Learn about the Grandparent-Grandchild Relationship? Conclusion 5. The Other Women in Family Life: Aunt/Niece/Nephew Communication - Patricia J. Sotirin and Laura L. Ellingson The Title of Aunt Aunting in Family Communication Research Themes and Schemas of Aunting Relationships Descriptions and Dialectics of Aunting Relationships Communicative Strengths and Challenges What is Left to Learn about Aunting? Conclusion 6. Getting Along with the In-Laws: Relationships with Parents-in-Law - Mary Claire Morr Serewicz Defining the Relationship with Parents-in-Law The Nonvoluntary, Tiradic Structure of the Parent-in-Law/Child-in-Law Relationship Interaction Between Parents-in-Law and Children-in-Law Conclusion 7. Getting Along with the In-Laws: Relationships with Siblings-in-Law - Christina G. Yoshimura What is a Sibling-in-Law? What is Known about Communication among Siblings-in-Law Contemporary Research on Siblings-in-Law Conclusion Commentary on Part B - Fran Dickson Part C: Relationships Created Through Divorce, Remarriage, or Adoption Introduction - Kory Floyd and Mark T. Morman 8. Joined by Hearts and Words: Adoptive Family Relationships - Kathleen M. Galvin How Common is Adoption? Background of Adoption Practices Contemporary Adoption Practices Why is Adoption Historically Understudied? Communicative Challenges to the Adoptive Family Communicative Opportunities and Challenges What We Need to Learn about Adoption Conclusion 9. Understudied and Misunderstood: Communication in Stepfamily Relationships - Dawn O. Braithwaite, Paul Schrodt, Leslie A. Baxter Stepfamily Development and Types Communication and Stepfamily Boundaries Conclusion 10. Investigating Privacy Boundaries: Communication in Post-Divorce Families - Tamara D. Afifi and Tara McManus The Role of Privacy Boundaries in Post-Divorce Family Relationships Redefining the Boundaries with One's Former Spouse Redefining the Boudaries with One's Children The Privacy Dilemmas of Interpersonal Conflict and Children's Feelings of Being Caught Conclusion Commentary on Part C - Beth Le Poire 11. Understudied Relationships in Family Communication Research: Expanding the Social Recipe - Lynn H. Turner and Richard West Dialectic Tensions Methods for Dealing with Dialectic Tensions Conclusion References