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Handbook of Family Communication

• Edited by Anita L. Vangelisti

• Price: $90.00
• Binding: Paperback (also available in Hardback)
• Pages: 792
• Published by: Routledge
• Publication Date: 1st October 2003
• ISBN: 978-0-8058-4131-2

About the Book

The Handbook of Family Communication offers a comprehensive exploration and discussion of current research and theory on family interaction. Integrating the varying perspectives and issues addressed by family researchers, theorists, and practitioners, this volume offers a unique and timely view of family interaction and family relationships. With a synthesis of research on issues key to understanding family interaction, as well as an analysis of many theoretical and methodological choices made by researchers studying family communication, the Handbook serves to advance the field by reframing old questions and stimulating new ones.


The contents are comprised of chapters covering:

*theoretical and methodological issues influencing current conceptions of family;

*research and theory centering around the family life course;

*communication occurring in a variety of family forms;

*individual family members and their relationships;

*dynamic communication processes taking place in families; and

*family communication embedded in social, cultural, and physical contexts.


The volume concludes with a commentary emphasizing the themes that tie the chapters together.


Highlighting the work of scholars across disciplines--communication, social psychology, clinical psychology, sociology, family studies, and others--this volume captures the breadth and depth of research on family communication and family relationships. The internationally-known contributors approach family interaction from a variety of theoretical perspectives and focus on topics ranging from the influence of structural characteristics on family relationships to the importance of specific communication processes.


The Handbook of Family Communication serves as a benchmark of the current state of scholarship in this dynamic area, offering new perspectives on extant literature, as well as important theoretical and methodological recommendations for future work. As such, it will be of great value to researchers and theorists studying family interaction and family relationships. It will also serve as a text for graduate-level coursework in family studies, family communication, relational communication, and related areas. Additionally, practitioners who work with families will be well served by this book, and counselors and therapists will find the theory and research presented here extremely relevant to their work with individuals and families.

Table of Contents

Contents: Preface. Introduction. Part I: Family Definitions, Theories, and Methods. G.H. Stamp, Theories of Family Relationships and a Family Relationships Theoretical Model. P. Noller, J.A. Feeney, Studying Family Communication: Multiple Methods and Multiple Sources. Part II: Communication Across the Family Life Course. C.A. Surra, C.R. Gray, N. Cottle, T.M.J. Boettcher, Research on Mate Selection and Premarital Relationships: What Do We Really Know? F.D. Fincham, Communication in Marriage. T.L. Huston, E.K. Holmes, Becoming Parents. K.L. Fingerman, J. Nussbaum, K.S. Birditt, Keeping All Five Balls in the Air: Juggling Family Communication at Midlife. F.C. Dickson, A. Christian, C.J. Remmo, An Exploration of Marital and Family Issues of the Later-Life Adult. Part III: Communication in Various Family Forms. A.F. Koerner, M.A. Fitzpatrick, Communication in Intact Families. J.M. Lewis, J.S. Wallerstein, L. Johnson-Reitz, Communication in Divorced and Single Parent Families. M. Coleman, L. Ganong, M. Fine, Communication in Stepfamilies. L.A. Peplau, K.P. Beals, The Family Lives of Lesbians and Gay Men. R.C. Diggs, T. Socha, Communication, Families, and Exploring the Boundaries of Cultural Diversity. Part IV: The Relational Communication of Family Members. W.J. Doherty, J.M. Beaton, Mothers and Fathers Parenting Together. L.A. Van Egeren, M.S. Barratt, The Developmental Origins of Communication: Interactional Systems in Infancy. L. Stafford, Communication Competencies and Sociocultural Priorities of Middle Childhood. B. Laursen, W.A. Collins, Parent-Child Communication During Adolescence. M. Schmeeckle, S. Sprecher, Extended Family and Social Networks. Part V: Family Communication Processes. J.P. Caughlin, S. Petronio, Privacy in Families. A. Sillars, D.J. Canary, M. Tafoya, Communication, Conflict, and the Quality of Family Relationships. S.R. Wilson, W.M. Morgan, Persuasion and Families. J. Fitness, J. Duffield, Emotion and Communication in Families. K.A. Gardner, C.E. Cutrona, Social Support Communication in Families. J. Jorgenson, A.P. Bochner, Imagining Families Through Stories and Rituals. Part VI: Communication and Contemporary Family Issues. M. Perry-Jenkins, C.P. Pierce, A.E. Goldberg, Discourses on Diapers and Dirty Laundry: Family Communication About Child Care and Housework. B.J. Wilson, The Mass Media and Family Communication. N. Jennings, E. Wartella, Technology and the Family. B.A. Le Poire, The Influence of Drugs and Alcohol on Family Communication: The Effects That Substance Abuse Has on Family Members and the Effects That Family Members Have on Substance Abuse. K.L. Anderson, D. Umberson, S. Elliott, Violence and Abuse in Families. D.J. Jones, S.R.H. Beach, H. Jackson, Family Influences on Health: A Framework to Organize Research and Guide Intervention. Part VII: Epilogue and Commentary. K. Galvin, The Family of the Future: What Do We Face?