chapter 11

horizontal communication

communication among colleges or coworkers at the same level within an organization

upward communication

communication that flows from subordinates to superiors

outward communication

communication that flows to those outside an organization such as customers

How to improve family relationships

take time to talk about relationships and feelings listen and clarify the meaning of messages Support and encourage one another use productive strategies for managing conflict, stress and change

Two models of family interaction

circumplex model of family interaction Family Communication pattens Model

Family types

Nuclear Extended Blended Single parent

Family Communication pattens Model

Scholars Mary Ann Fitzpatrick, David Ritchie and Ascan Koerner - theory is based on the idea that communication in families can be described in terms of two dimensions; the level of conversations which is the degree to which family members are encouraged to discuss any topic, and the level of conformity, which is the degree to which the family emphasizes embracing the same values, attitudes and beliefs - families with strong conversation orientation engage in frequent discussions, all family members share their thoughts and feelings and they all share in decision making - families strong on conformity seek homogeneity, harmony, and avoidance of conflict, and obedience to elders - families range from strong to weak in their conversation and conformity orientations. the intersection of the two dimensions produces four types of families, each type with its own unique communication patterns -this model is not a complete picture of complex family dynamics, but it does provide a foundation for an understanding of healthy family communication patterns

adaptability

a family's ability to modify and respond to changes in the family's power structure and roles - for some families, tradition and stability and historical perspective are important to a sense of comfort and well being. Other families that are less tradition bound are better able to adapt to new circumstances

textbook defines family

a self defined unit made up of any number of persons who live or have in relationship with one another over time in a common living space, and who are usually, but not always, united by marriage and kinship

the communication patterns in a family have a direct impact on

both the well being of family members and the development of interpersonal communication skills

communication scholars kathleen galvin and Bernard Brommel identified eight qualities exhibited by functional families

interactions are patterned and understood; there is more compassion and less cruelty; problems are addressed to the person who created them - other family members are not scapegoated; their is self restraint; boundaries about safe terrorizes and roles are clear; life includes joy and humour; misperceptions are minimal; and positive interactions outweigh negative ones

mixed couples

married couples in which the husband and wife each adopt a different perspective (traditonal, indecent, separate) on the marriage

traditional couples

married partners who are interdependent and who exhibit a lot of sharing and companionship

independent couples

married partners who exhibit sharing and companionship and are psychologically interdependent but allow each other individual space

separate couples

married partners who support the notion of marriage and family but stress the individual over the couple

Parents and children

parents have affected your interpersonal communication development in three ways by interaction, providing instruction about communication rules and principles and observation

Consensual families

posses a high orientation toward both conversation and conformity. parents encourage children to talk but the children are expected to accept their parent's explanations and values at as the parents make the decisions in essence, children must give in to whatever the parents say, which creates stress for the children a lot of negative feelings get expressed in consensual families, and such families rely heavily on external social support

Protective families

posses a low conversation orientation and a high orientation toward conformity - parents create their authority in decision making and expect obedience without discussions or explanations because harmony, agreement and conformity are the goals, conflict is discouraged and without conflict experience, family members are actually ill equipped to manage conflict in the outside world the lack of conflict management skills leads members of these families to experience higher levels of hostile feelings, more venting of those feelings and short emotional outburst

Pluralistic families

posses high conversation orientation and a low conformity orientation - these families have very open, unrestrained conversations; they emphasize talking without concern for conforming parents do not try and control their children's thinking but they do expect quality arguments and support family members do not express many negative feelings, and hostility levels are low probably because family members are free to discuss conflicts and are not pressured to conform have a positive family relationships among the four family types

Laissez-faire families

possess a low orientation toward both conversation and conformity these families tend to have few interactions on only a few topics parents support individual decision making but do not take much interest in the decisions this pattern eventually undermines the children's confidence in their own decision making abilities conflicts are infrequent, as is venting of negative feelings, since their is little reason for hostility and little investment in the relationships - children feel disassociated from the family

downward communication

superiors to subordinates

researchers on family communication patterns discovered

that the conversation orientation related more to positive psychological factors (self-esteem, mental, and physical health, closeness and relational satisfaction) than did the conformity orientation

cohesion

the emotional bonding and feelings of togetherness that families experience - ranges from excessively tight or enmeshed to disengaged. because family systems are dynamic, families usually move back and forth along the continuum from disengaged to enmeshed

john caughlin identified 10 factors that were associated with families that had good communication

those factors are openness, maintaining structural stability, expression of affection emotional/instrumental support, mind reading (knowing what others are thinking and feeling), politeness, discipline (clear rules and consequences), humour/sarcasm, regular routine interaction, and avoidance of personal and hurtful topics

communication

through communication families can adapt to change (or not) and maintain either enmeshed or disengaged relationships, or even something in between - determines how cohesive and adaptable families are. keeps the family operating as a system. - the nature of communication in the family has a direct impact on the development of family members' interpersonal communication skills - for ex. one study found that the ability to self disclose, offer emotional support, and manage conflicts among friends and romantic partners was related to being raised in a family that supported learning about a diverse world and sharing opinions without fear of condemnation (family high in flexibility and cohesion)

hostile environment

type of sexual harassment in which an employee's rights are threatened through offensive working conditions or behaviour on the part of other workers

Improving family communication

virgina satir found that, in healthy families, "the members' sense of self worth is high; communication is direct, clear, specific, and honest; rules are flexible, humane, and subject to change; and the family's links to society are open and hopeful" - people listen actively, they look at one another, not through one another or at the floor; they treat children as people; they touch one another affectionately regardless of age; and they openly discuss disappointments, fears, hurts, angers, and criticism as well as achievements

circumplex model of family interaction

was developed to explain the dynamics of both effective function and dysfunction within daily systems. - three basic dimensions: adaptability, cohesion, communication THis model helps explain relationships among family cohesiveness, adaptability and communication at different stages of family development. families with balanced levels of cohesion and adaptability function better across the entire family life cycle than those are the extremes of these dimensions

siblings

we are motivated to communicate with our siblings due to feelings of intimacy - a desire to sustain the relationship, to keep in touch, to show caring and concern

interpersonal relationships at home

while families have changes, so have the communication within the family. the way family members interact with one another has been altered by a variety of social influences. each family faces unique challenges for understanding and improving communication. there is no single best way to communicate in families.

communicating does not guarantee increased happiness, why?

you might not like what you hear. good communication just means openly sharing more information - information that has the potential to have a positive or negative effect, depending on what you learn