Table of Contents

Preface - Lynn H. Turner and Richard West
Introduction: A Reflective View on the Development of Family Communication - L. Edna Rogers
Part I: Defining and Interpreting the Family
1. Diversity′s Impact on Defining the Family: Discourse-Dependence and Identity - Kathleen M. Galvin
2. Defining the Family Through Relationships - Kory Floyd, Alan C. Mikkelson, and Jeff Judd
Part II: Theoretical and Methodological Considerations
3. Theories and Methatheories to Explain Family Communication: An Overview - Teresa C. Sabourin
4. Established and Promising Models for Family Communication Research - Deborah S. Ballard-Reisch and Daniel J. Weigel
5. Methodological Approaches to the Study of Family Communication - Sandra Metts and Emily Lamb
Part III: Internal Family Dynamics
Storytelling
6. Family Storytelling as Communication Practice - Kristin M. Langellier and Eric E. Peterson
7. Cover Stories as Family Communication Practice - Theresa L. Hest, Judy C. Pearson, and Jeffrey T. Child
Conflict
8. Mulling About Family Conflict and Communication: What We Know and What We Need to Know - Michael E. Roloff and Courtney Waite Miller
9. Family Conflict and Adolescents - Patricia Noller, Sharon Atkin, Judith A. Feeney, and Candida Peterson
Intimacy
10. "That Dear Octopus": A Family-Based Model of Intimacy - Megan K. Foley and Steve Duck
11. When "Friendly Advice" Becomes a Privacy Dilemma for Pregnant Couples: Applying Communication Privacy Management Theory - Sandra Petronio and Susanne M. Jones
Discipline
12. Orchestrating and Directing Domestic Potential Through Communication: Toward a Positive Reframing of “Discipline” - Thomas J. Socha
13. Parental Physical Negative Touch and Child Noncompliance in Abusive, Neglectful, and Comparison Families: A Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies - Steven R. Wilson, Xiaowei Shi, Lisa Tirmenstein, Alda Norris, and Jessica J. Rack
Rituals
14. Family Rituals - Leslie A. Baxter and Dawn O. Braithwaite
15. Ritual (In)Activity in Postbereaved Stepfamilies - Leah E. Bryant
Part IV: External Structural Frameworks
Media-Family Interface
16. Implications of Living in a Wired Family: New Directions in Family and Media Research - J. Alison Bryant and Jennings Bryant
17. Cyberkids: The Influence of Mediation and Motivation on Children’s Use of and Attitudes Toward the Internet - Alison Alexander, Seok Kang, and Yeora Kim
Work-Family Interface
18. Employees "Without" Families: Discourses of Family as an External Constraint to Work-Life Balance - Kristen Lucas and Patrice M. Buzzanell
19. Communicating Contradictions: (Re)Producing Dialectical Tensions Through Work, Family, and Balance Socialization Messages - Caryn E. Medved and Elizabeth E. Graham
Religion-Family Interface
20. Relational Dynamics in Interfaith Marriage - Patrick C. Hughes and Fran C. Dickson
21. Women Belong in the...Pulpit: Family and Professional Tensions in the Lives of Southern Baptist Women Pastors - Helen Sterk and Rebecca Kallemeyn
School-Family Interface
22. Family-School Relationships: Theoretical Perspectives and Concerns - Pamela Cooper
23. The Impact of Parents′ Use of Hurtful Messages on Adult Children′s Self-Esteem and Educational Motivation - Scott A. Myers, Paul Schrodt, and Christine E. Rittenour
Health Care–Family Interface
24. Interrelations Between Family Communication and Health Communication - Loretta L. Pecchioni, Teresa L. Thompson, and Dustin J. Anderson
25. Dialectical Tensions in Families Experiencing Acute Health Issues: Stroke Survivors’ Perceptions - Donna R. Pawlowski
Epilogue: The Future of Family Communication Theory and Research - Mary Anne Fitzpatrick
Author Index
Subject Index
About the Editors
About the Contributors

About the Author

Lynn H. Turner (Ph.D., Northwestern University) is Professor of Communication Studies in the College of Communication at Marquette University. Her research areas of interest include interpersonal, gendered, and family communication.  She is the co-author or co-editor of over 10 books as well as several articles and book chapters (many with Rich West). Lynn has served in a number of different positions: Director of Graduate Studies for the College of Communication at Marquette University; President of the Organization for the Study of Communication, Language, and Gender (OSCLG), President of Central States Communication Association (CSCA), and Chair of the Family Communication Division for the National Communication Association.  In her free time, Lynn delights in babysitting for her grandchildren. Richard West (Ph.D., Ohio University, 1991) is Professor of Communication Studies at Emerson College. He received his BA and MA in Communication at Illinois State University. 

 

Rich is the co-author (with Lynn Turner) of several leading books in communication (Perspectives on Family Communication/4th ed; Interpersonal Communication/2nd ed; IPC/1st ed; Introducing Communication Theory/5th ed; Gender and Communication/3rd ed;) and served as co-editor of the Sage Sourcebook of Family Communication.  He is the author/co-author of over 40 articles and essays and he has participated in over 100 NCA programs.  Rich’s work has appeared in Communication Quarterly, Communication Education, Qualitative Research Reports in Communication, Communication Reports, Journal of Family Communication, among others. He has served as Guest Co-Editor of the Journal of Family Communication twice and has been a member of nearly 10 journal editorial boards in communication.

 

Rich’s work intersects family, identity, and culture. Yet, he admits to being somewhat of a ‘scholarly nomad,’ exploring a number of different topics, including gay parenting, holiday stress, student questions in the classroom, job burnout, among other areas. 

 

Rich is the recipient of several recognitions, including Outstanding Alumni in Communication awards from both Illinois State University and Ohio University.  ISU has also recognized him as a “Distinguished Alum” in Forensics and as an “Outstanding Alum in Teacher Education.”  He has also been recognized as an ECA Research Fellow and was the recipient of ECA’s Past President’s Award.  In 2012, the Communication Institute for Online Scholarship named him a “Leading Scholar in Communication Education.”  

 

He has served as President of the Eastern Communication (2008) and the National Communication Association (2012).

Reviews

"The book′s most distinctive feature is revealed in its third and fourth sections, where the editors pair chapters that address specific communication issues. These pairings--a review chapter and a fresh exemplar--address topics such as conflict, discipline, rituals, the impact of the media or workplace, religion, schools, and health care. Summing up: Highly recommended."
*R. B. Stewart Jr.*

"There is no question that this volume represents the best, most up-to-date compendium about family communication available to advanced students in various disciplines, especially family therapists who desire a substantive background for their practice. There are extremely relevant topics that deserve the attention of family-oriented scholars, researchers, and clinicians. There is no question, in my opinion, that this volume is a substantial contribution to the field of family communication. Once could go as far as asserting that it constitutes a milestone in the evolution of theories, models, and research not only in the field of communication but also in the sociological and psychological study of the family."
*Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Books*